The Art of Influence: Persuading Others Begins with You

Widener's acclaim as a professional speaker can certainly be understood when listening to his reading. He does not take a dramatic or theatrical approach, but offers a delivery appropriate to the format Listeners who enjoy attending seminars of the Seven Habits and Who Moved My Cheese? variety can expect the same type of solid and engaging motivational storytelling they have grown accustomed to hearing in hotel conference rooms. In portraying the interactions between his two protagonists—ambitious young business school graduate Marcus Drake and seasoned tycoon Bobby Gold—Widener displays an especially keen ear for both mentor-mentee relationships and generational differences in the world of work. The situations and insights ring true with clarity and purpose. A Doubleday hardcover (Reviews, May 5). (Aug.)