Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie (November 24 1888 - November 1 1955) was a pioneer in self-improvement, salesmanship, and corporate training programs, and became famous for courses he developed that emphasized public speaking and interpersonal skills. Born in poverty on a farm in Missouri, he was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, first published in 1936, which has sold over 15 million copies through many editions and remains popular today. He also wrote a biography of Abraham Lincoln titled Lincoln the Unknown and several other books.

Criticisms of the Course

A great deal of time is spent listening to speeches given by other participants, particularly in classes with larger numbers of participants. Some critics state that this time is not well spent.

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Second, there is criticism that some techniques taught are manipulative. In The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand included a lengthy subplot where one character feigns an interest in the hobby of another in an effort to become a partner in an architectural firm. This is a direct attack on Carnegie's techniques. The course teaches that students should "take a genuine interest in other people" (emphasis added), though some present-day critics consider this a Band-Aid for a fundamentally manipulative activity.

Related Topics:
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand - Band-Aid

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It can also be argued that the first objective of the Dale Carnegie course is to train people to promote the course itself, rather than to achieve any genuine personal development. After each activity during the course the facilitator leads a discussion about the value of having done the activity. Also, participants are encouraged to invite friends, family and colleagues to the last session of the course, where they are subjected to presentations from all participants on the greatest "breakthrough" that they have achieved while taking the course.

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Finally, critics of responsibility assumption attack that aspect of the program.

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