The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic (2nd Edition) (How to be More Likable and Charismatic)

We all know when someone's witty or excels at banter. They're magnetic, socially suave, and they're popular. They can dish it out as well as they can take it. It makes them more interesting and less one dimensional.This book is excellent at providing frameworks for understanding wit and banter. This makes it much easier to provide witty replies on the fly. Instead of having to think of something on the spot, you can closely wait for someone to say something, and then immediately filter it through the frameworks you learned in this book and provide a witty reply.There's one HUGE caveat though (and everyone else is right)... some of these can make you look like a real A-hole. These work best with someone you're genuinely close with or comfortable around. Otherwise, you'll risk offending 80-90% of the people around you. .. especially if you often use sarcastic replies. If you do decide to use those, you better be self-deprecating as well so that you don't look like a bully.However, that caveat can be your greatest strength.Do you have a coworker or friend in your social group who's rude to you? It's easy to get emotionally flustered and not be able to think of a reply on the spot. However, this book arms you with the tools needed to easily deal with people like that. So the next time you encounter them, you'll be calm because not only are you prepared, but you'll be excited for the moment to put them in their place, making you come out on top. You'll have verbal daggers ready to launch at them, and it will be easy to employ - because the frameworks make it easy for you. There are plenty of examples provided as well.Think of this book as a guide to verbal jiu jitsu. You don't want to use it offensively. But it's a great tool to have in your social toolkit, and it will definitely arm you with a layer of self defense.

Most of the time conversation is an almost automatic act. We don’t think of the purpose and direction of the conversation. This book makes a stab at that meta approach - think about ‘conversational acts’. The author is clearly an amateur but he still has some decent points. At times the book sounds like it is written for someone on the spectrum who has to fake empathy and emotion, but other parts are more informative. I think the author would have benefited from doing more research on the topic. What I really liked were the summary chapters - books like this are often tediously long and filled with millions of anecdotes. After reading the first chapter I went to the summaries and they were all I needed and quite succinct. I may go back to one of the chapters, but kudos for that innovation! Keep writing! I wish I could!

Cool bookJust wish it was more clear examples but its headed in the right way. Next book give more examples.

Very informative with practical advice and examples

Meh. Not bad could have been a lot better. It is a fast read but it is less about about learning to be a witty banterer or clever ways to respond to peoples comments instead focusing on the fundamentals of how to start a basic conversation with someone without it sounding like small talk. I could see this useful to people trying to learn conversational English or for extreme introverts, but the title is very misleading. This book/The Author does have some thoughts but there is a lack of examples for the topics being discussed.

Clear, thoughtful, concise.

It's an amazing book

A SIMPLE BOOK FOR BEGINNERSto start, the book really makes you more aware of how to respond to people and think on how you could inprove; it provides examples which for the most part are helpful but very conspicious, most being unintuitive and feeling like you're talking to a robot. For example on the subject of using witty banter(Chapter 3) the author used describing someone as a glacier for an example" Bob: You are working as slow as a glacier. Pick it up!You:[focusing on the word glacier] You mean I'm strong and cool under pressure? True" (117)The example is obvious, giving you a great idea on the matter but the joke feels boring and irritible.The advice for the most part is good for a begginner with only some just being common sense and courtesyFor the most part this is a very "simple" book but is a must need if you are just starting out. 4/5