Book Review ‘Tell Well’
Raashid ul Nabi Khan
The book “Tell Well” is a workbook to help develop outstanding communication skills. It is the third book by the author who has presented his work beautifully and whose style of writing is wonderful. It keeps the readers glued to its pages. In this oeuvre, the author states that, “it is not only what you say, but how you say that matters”
The author writes that this is not a book for browsing or reading during free time; rather it is a workbook which will help you throughout your life as it contains exercises and tips with motivational stories. The book is spread over 16 chapters. It is a masterpiece with some chapters in the book being absolutely wonderful like: “Hire a good trainer for yourself” “Perfection through practice” “Mind your mic manners please”.
In one of the chapters, the author discusses people know more words than what they actually use in their daily lives. In chapter 5 “There is a world of words in your head”. He writes that orators or writers are not expected to memorize whole dictionaries neither had Shakespeare followed the practice, rather it is how well they use these is what makes them stand apart.
In chapter 8, “Optimizing your voice quality through voice workouts”, the author recalls his real life experience. He writes, “During the 80’s I interviewed an upcoming anchor who had a beautiful and crystal clear voice. During the interview, I entreated how he gained such a beautiful voice? He replied by questioning me about my good physique to which I replied that it took me year to build one and further daily workouts for maintaining it. He thumped on my chest and responded that he did the same. He worked on his voice for a year and maintained it by keeping a record of it daily”. The author adds that mostly, the best voices are partly God gifted but need to be developed after hours of hard work.
The author, in the book, has given lucid explanations about as how to develop a low pitched voice. In chapter 9 ” Express your emotions properly ” , the author writes there are different emotions a person feels in real life some people’s expression gives you instant indication of their heart as in how do they feel about you”.
One of the beautiful chapters in the book is chapter 10” Modulate your voice to build a proper tone “.The author here again recalls his real life experience. He writes, “ I once asked a student to say “I love you” in four different styles in an authoritative manner, in an innocent child’s way of talking, in an emotional mother’s concerned way and in a humble style. Hearing all his styles made me realize that most of us are not even capable of expressing this most important sentence properly upon which foundation of the human relation is built.
In chapter 13, “Should you worry about your accent”, the author highlights that students may improve their accent but under a good trainer.
In Chapter 15, an absolutely wonderful one, “Mind your mic manners please” , the author writes no matter how neatly you are dressed up and how powerful your content is, if your sound system is poor, your talk is a flop. He then gives tips how to hold a standing mic, a collar mic and a podium mic.
In the concluding chapter, the author writes, “It took me approximately one year to complete this book because I preferred giving examples from my own experiences that I came across in my training”.
All in all, the book is an excellent package for youth, parents as well as for children.
Nisaar Nadiadwala, the author of the book is a well known public speaker on Islam and interfaith dialogues for over 15 years. He is based in the UAE as a marketing consultant for freshers and new business enthusiasts. He trains individuals, corporates and educators
(Raashid Ul Nabi Khan is a Law Graduate, and holds a Masters in Political Science along with a B.Ed. He is a member at JKIFTS Council of writers. He is also a member at Islamic Fraternity of Kashmir. He can be reached at [email protected])
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