How to find the art and science of human connections

How can you build meaningful connections which are not egocentric? Shani Taylor ’s book “From Ignored to Adored” helps to ignite true connections and improve communication to attract the right prospective clients without being salesy. This personal development book covers more than just the networking aspect; it rather attempts to turn future customers into soul-mate clients.

Growing up without a biological father and raising her own son as single mum, Shani knows how to fight in life while longing for true connection to those she can trust. She got rewarded for her life challenges with the gift of reading human behaviour in a deeper way than most of us which in return helps her to communicate in a more connected way than others. Shani’s mission is to directly serve one million people in her mentoring programs teaching human connection and business growth, delivered worldwide out of Sydney.

The story flow spans across two parts: clarity and connection. The first part lays the foundation to eliminate our natural way of being I-centric towards a desire of building deep connections. Addressing mainly small business owners and leaders who lost their passion for their business, the book represents a suitable groundwork for falling in love again with their business. The third chapter covers art and science of mastering the message by applying her TRUST framework which is based on the five steps Target audience, Reach, You, Solution, and Transformation. The remaining chapters cover the journey towards soul-mate clients up to relationships that relate.

Reading Shani’s book is a pleasure because so many sentences jump into the eyes as an eye-catcher. One example quote that resonates well with me is: “You need to stop speaking AT people and start speaking WITH them” shows the purpose behind conversations to make them matter. Another more casual quote is “When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me” shows the need for validation. Another insightful quote is “Your message is found in your mess, but don’t make your mess your message.”

“From Ignored to Adored” is highly adaptable for the reader’s practice. Instead of being too theoretical like many other books, Shani shows meaningful examples how to rephrase the approach from an I-centric way into a connected way leading to deeper formed relationships with the right people.

This book feels special to me as it celebrates the art of human connection in a quickly consumable format to apply the practical examples and relatable customer stories, supported by her clearly defined mission. Especially the “wake up” approach of visible headlines entice the reader to change their habits such as “from wired to inspired”, “from project to connect“, “stop spraying and praying” or “from drain to gain”.

As an upcoming business book author myself, I appreciate her no-nonsense style of writing with a clear structure. The added examples and summaries of each chapter act as a quick reference, shown in consistent shades of grey throughout the book. Her sense of humour makes this book an easy read and invites for a second time to implement what matters: to connect in an authentic way for long-lasting relationships.

Q&A with Shani Taylor

1. What was the deciding moment to write this book?

I wanted to be a published author since I was a child but last year when I reflected that I had been saying I wanted to publish my own book for more than 20 years that it was time to stop making excuses and do it.

2. How long did it take from concept to launch?

Approx. five months to write.

3. How did you perform the research to create the practical content?

From what I had read and collected from books over the 20+ years, academic research, and Google.

4. What was the biggest challenge along the process (and how did you overcome it)?

NOT feeling creative. I thought by writing a book I would feel creative but actually it was very strategic and technical, not very ‘FLOWY’ at all.

5. What was your own reflection along the journey?

That there was so much more still in me to share.

6. What is the outcome in having this book available?

Even though the book is geared toward coaches, my goal is to transform the way humanity connects with themselves and each other so this book forms part of that mission.

7. What would you advise others about writing their book?

Stop waiting for the right moment – do it now AND once you start, KEEP writing consistently. You can’t write, leave it for weeks or months and then pick it back up – YOU change as a person so what you wrote six months ago won’t feel like you six months later. Write now. Write consistently. Write wholeheartedly.

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Shani Taylor: “From Ignored to Adored”, Toronto: Grammar Factory 2022, ISBN 978-1-998756-13-1 (Paperback), 978-1-998756-15-5 (Hardcover) or 978-1-998756-14-8 (Ebook). More about the author: www.opentograce.com.au

About the reviewer: Gunnar Habitz helps organisations and customers navigate and simplify computing and SaaS complexities and held management roles with entrepreneurial and mature global brands in Australia, APAC and Europe. The Senior Partner Manager at?GoTo ?in Sydney supports partners and their clients making IT easy, everywhere. As a Chartered Manager at the?Institute of Managers and Leaders ?(IML), he mentors the next generation of leaders. Having published a range of books, he is reading and reviewing good books and shares them here. Find more content about leadership, networking and digital reputation on?www.gunnarhabitz.com.au .