I will be the first to admit I love a good story. One of the things I found most fascinating about Dales Carnegie’s book was his usage of stories and analogies to express his points to the reader. I find it very riveting and engaging when I can immerse myself into a story and find the hidden meaning. Jesus Christ was very affluent in his usage of parables, he wanted his disciples to see his point of view and he did this by immersing their brain into stories that made them see the right path to take. Joel Osteen to me is more motivational speaker than televangelist, although he focuses his stories around the power and presence of God, he still takes the time to get the listener to see the positives of even the most despicable situations and always focuses on the bright side of life. Abraham Lincoln was well noted for his storytelling. He would quickly tell a joke or anecdote to capture an audience that hung on his every word. What all of these individuals have done is captivated their audience by weaving a tale that culminates in the glorious “a-ha” moment, the point in time where the listener actually “gets it”.
Carnegie used his stories as a springboard to highlight his principles. I must say honestly that a lot of what Carnegie was “preaching” I had become accustom to as being commonplace when dealing with people. My upbringing focused on showing respect for others, treat people the way you wish to be treated, your word is your honor, do what you say you are going to do and lend a hand when you can. So with this already ingrained in my psyche, I thought a lot of Carnegie's principles were just plain common sense. However, I do realize that not everyone shares the same value system so I can completely understand the necessity of sharing these principles.
