Review of Speak Up! Tell Your Story to Influence Others
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sayjil gordhan
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Review of Speak Up! Tell Your Story to Influence Others
[Following is a volunteer review of "Speak Up! Tell Your Story to Influence Others" by Susana G Baumann.]
In Speak Up! Tell Your Story to Influence Others by Susana G. Baumann. The author shows how telling your story can influence others by telling her personal stories to influence the reader. Baumann uses real-life incidents and challenges that had occurred and were overcome. For instance, the author is Argentinian but lives in the USA and stresses the challenges of being an immigrant socially and professionally. Baumann emphasizes that due to personal branding, these challenges were overcome. A great point made by Baumann is that we should not only reflect on who we are but also effectively use and communicate who we are to the world.
The book is written in two parts. The first part is about personal branding and finding your voice. Baumann states the importance and role of social media in storytelling. The reader is guided through exercises on finding character traits, values, cultural aspects, and leadership skills. The author explains how we can use weakness to our advantage. The second part is about personal branding and the elements of your story. Here, the author states that we must use authentic emotions and multicultural approaches to storytelling. Emphasizes that conflict makes the story more real.
The reader is guided through each chapter gradually to be convinced of the importance of storytelling and then guided practically on how to effectively and introspectively tell their own story in the most authentic but proactive manner.
The prose is written in a casual style, as though a narrator is speaking directly to you. I found this to be a great aspect of the book, as I expect non-fiction books to be written in a formal tone. The chosen prose and the fact that the book is structured similarly to an essay made it more engaging and easy to comprehend. For instance, the author makes reference to familiar movies such as Slumdog Millionaire and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey to make a connection with the reader so the reader is able to understand the point.
The author, being Argentinian, is able to give the reader an authentic view of multiculturalism. This itself convinces the reader to use real and authentic stories of oneself. Given the political and social climate that we are currently in, the importance of immigrants speaking their stories is more important than ever. Not only will the book convince them to speak out in a manner that will make the world feel something, but it will also show these readers that connecting emotions with real stories should be continuous to ensure that empathy is never lost. Another important aspect of the book is that even fictional storytelling is shown to be important, and as an avid reader, I agree with this.
There isn’t much I didn’t like about this book. However, I would’ve liked for the author to add researched evidence to support arguments and not just experience. Some ideas, such as the author's thoughts on self-awareness and personal branding, seemed repetitive. That said, I really liked the book and think it’s an easy read. I recommend this book to anyone interested in self-development or anyone who likes to read nonfiction. The book appears to be professionally edited, as I found no errors.
I rate this book four out of five stars.
******
Speak Up! Tell Your Story to Influence Others
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In Speak Up! Tell Your Story to Influence Others by Susana G. Baumann. The author shows how telling your story can influence others by telling her personal stories to influence the reader. Baumann uses real-life incidents and challenges that had occurred and were overcome. For instance, the author is Argentinian but lives in the USA and stresses the challenges of being an immigrant socially and professionally. Baumann emphasizes that due to personal branding, these challenges were overcome. A great point made by Baumann is that we should not only reflect on who we are but also effectively use and communicate who we are to the world.
The book is written in two parts. The first part is about personal branding and finding your voice. Baumann states the importance and role of social media in storytelling. The reader is guided through exercises on finding character traits, values, cultural aspects, and leadership skills. The author explains how we can use weakness to our advantage. The second part is about personal branding and the elements of your story. Here, the author states that we must use authentic emotions and multicultural approaches to storytelling. Emphasizes that conflict makes the story more real.
The reader is guided through each chapter gradually to be convinced of the importance of storytelling and then guided practically on how to effectively and introspectively tell their own story in the most authentic but proactive manner.
The prose is written in a casual style, as though a narrator is speaking directly to you. I found this to be a great aspect of the book, as I expect non-fiction books to be written in a formal tone. The chosen prose and the fact that the book is structured similarly to an essay made it more engaging and easy to comprehend. For instance, the author makes reference to familiar movies such as Slumdog Millionaire and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey to make a connection with the reader so the reader is able to understand the point.
The author, being Argentinian, is able to give the reader an authentic view of multiculturalism. This itself convinces the reader to use real and authentic stories of oneself. Given the political and social climate that we are currently in, the importance of immigrants speaking their stories is more important than ever. Not only will the book convince them to speak out in a manner that will make the world feel something, but it will also show these readers that connecting emotions with real stories should be continuous to ensure that empathy is never lost. Another important aspect of the book is that even fictional storytelling is shown to be important, and as an avid reader, I agree with this.
There isn’t much I didn’t like about this book. However, I would’ve liked for the author to add researched evidence to support arguments and not just experience. Some ideas, such as the author's thoughts on self-awareness and personal branding, seemed repetitive. That said, I really liked the book and think it’s an easy read. I recommend this book to anyone interested in self-development or anyone who likes to read nonfiction. The book appears to be professionally edited, as I found no errors.
I rate this book four out of five stars.
******
Speak Up! Tell Your Story to Influence Others
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Sisterhood by Maisie Moon
