How to Win Friends and Influence People

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What qualities do you think make a good leader? How might leaders be met with a variety of challenges when addressing differences in colleagues’ needs? Why do people have conflicting views of what leadership means? What might be some of the failings of different leaders?     

Teaching Suggestion: In the book, the author discusses the importance of positive interaction to influence others. Consider discussing characteristics that are admired in leaders and colleagues and some qualities that are less desirable.

• This article from Harvard Business Review describes the various aspects of leadership and what it means, and connects to the theme of Leadership as Inspiration.     
• This article from Babson College describes why leadership is important in the workplace and connects to the theme of Leadership as Inspiration.

Short Activity

Decide what aspects of leadership are the most important and what qualities are less valuable in leadership positions. In a brief speech to the class, describe your own leadership style and how it impacts your work and studies. As students present, note the ways leadership styles among your peers are different.

Teaching Suggestion: Students may wish to create a written response or work in small groups to describe the aspects of an effective leader before comparing responses. One way to compare responses is to create a tally graph listing the aspects of leadership that are mentioned by students. Consider preserving the graph to analyze growth and changes in mindset after the completion of the book.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who might benefit from an additional challenge, consider presenting common problems that may arise in leadership positions. Students may wish to analyze the scenarios and address strategies to confront difficult problems. A graphic organizer or collection of visual aids to keep on display as students read might complement the unit.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Describe a time when you had to have a difficult conversation that you suspected might become heated. Why did you decide to have the conversation? What skills or strategies did you use to draw attention to the problem? What was the outcome of the discussion? What are ways the conversation might have had a different outcome? How would you advise someone to approach a difficult conversation?

Teaching Suggestion: In How to Win Friends and Influence People, the author addresses instances in which difficult conversations are required and how to approach those conversations using his strategies. Consider discussing common conflict resolution tactics and difficult conversations to aid in self-reflection prior to reading the book.