What do you think of Dale Carnegie training?
October 8, 2018 7:36 PM Subscribe
I recently did Dale Carnegie training as part of my job, and I came out of it feeling unsettled. There were a thousand half truths, to the point where you could just stop evaluating them. It almost seemed like a religion to improve productivity at work. It reminded me of the fraternity I quit after the second meeting many years ago. It felt like a “how to be phony” camp papering over (very real) organizational problems with “positive thinking.”
Are there any others who agree or strongly disagree with me on this?
A few things I took issue with:
The outmoded stories with singular stories used to falsely “prove” a rule.
The use of metaphors to exemplify some point, but not backed by evidence.
The idea that anything can be summed up as a quick slogan in public speaking.
The emphasis on being louder and more obnoxious than others being rewarded with swag.
The encouragement to share personal stories at work, claiming that none of it would be shared.
The loss of actual work time, necessitating longer work hours.
The false idea that lack of sleep will not affect your health.
Unsound cult-like tactics used in the service of “engagement.”
The whole premise! Some literal charlatain who claimed to have interviewed the industrialist Carnegie, who happens to share the same last name creates a program for success. I am more interested in what the actual industrialist would have to say.
I have always been a nonconformist, granted. This really rubbed me the wrong way, though. Is this organization using sound psychological principles? Any psychologists want to weigh in?
A few things I took issue with:
The outmoded stories with singular stories used to falsely “prove” a rule.
The use of metaphors to exemplify some point, but not backed by evidence.
The idea that anything can be summed up as a quick slogan in public speaking.
The emphasis on being louder and more obnoxious than others being rewarded with swag.
The encouragement to share personal stories at work, claiming that none of it would be shared.
The loss of actual work time, necessitating longer work hours.
The false idea that lack of sleep will not affect your health.
Unsound cult-like tactics used in the service of “engagement.”
The whole premise! Some literal charlatain who claimed to have interviewed the industrialist Carnegie, who happens to share the same last name creates a program for success. I am more interested in what the actual industrialist would have to say.
I have always been a nonconformist, granted. This really rubbed me the wrong way, though. Is this organization using sound psychological principles? Any psychologists want to weigh in?
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Is this organization using sound psychological principles?
Um yeah, the ones that tell you how to manipulate gullible people.
Agree. It's one of those half-cult moneymaking commodities like the Forum. Just google "Dale Carnegie" + "cult" for lots of critique. It's garbage. It doesn't sound like you've got requirements to follow up/go deeper, so shrug it off I guess?
posted by Miko at 7:42 PM on October 8, 2018 [1 favorite]