Page 12 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

CHAPTER 1

Why Must I Read This Book

and Follow Your Advice

(or Else)?

When you read this chapter’s title you may have thought, “Who do these
guys think they are?” If so, relax. We’re not nearly as full of ourselves as
the chapter title suggests. Just like the late, life-and-success coach Dale
Carnegie, we sincerely believe the following: “People rarely succeed unless
they have fun in what they are doing.” Our assumption, and forgive us
1
if we are assuming incorrectly, is that you want to be successful in your
career. We also assume you want to have fun along the way. After all, if
your work is fun, it’s a lot less like work and a lot more like play.
This entire chapter is devoted to helping you gain a light-hearted per-
spective on how you can achieve success as a business communicator, and
we are determined to have at least a little bit of fun along the way. So, why
are we approaching our book in this manner? Let us answer that question
by telling you a secret about ourselves. We have read a lot of wicked-dull
books. It’s true. Between the two of us, we have two doctoral degrees, three
master’s degrees, two bachelor’s degrees, and nearly 40 years of combined
business and communications experience. Believe us when we tell you we
know how dull many textbooks are. While it’s okay with us if you do not
find our book to be a laugh riot, we hope you at least find it more inter-
esting than many books you have read previously.
And speaking of fun, game show host Ryan
Kristafer knows a thing or two about the relationship
between success and fun. At the time of writing, Ryan
is 22 years old; already, he has earned a degree in busi-
ness, launched a career as an Internet entrepreneur
(LIVE game guy), and is the top emcee/host at the sec-
ond largest casino in the United States. Ryan says that half of what he
does is building relationships and increasing his networks. He explains