Dale Carnegie (originally Carnagey) was a pioneer in corporate training
programs and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement,
public speaking and interpersonal skills. His best know book, "How to
Win Friends and Influence People," first published in 1936, remains
popular ever since.
He was born Dale Breckenridge Carnagey, on November 24, 1888, in
Maryville, Missouri. His father, named John William Carnagey, was a
poor farmer. His mother, named Amanda Elizabeth Carnagey (nee
Harbison), worked with his father on the farm. The family was in debt,
and as a young boy he had to get up at 4 A. M. every day to milk the
cows and help on the farm, then to go to school. He managed to get
through school and graduated from the State Teacher's College in
Warrensburg, Missouri.
Dale Carnagey's first job was selling correspondence learning courses
to farmers. Then he worked as a salesman for Armour & Company, the
largest slaughterhouse and meatpacking company in Chicago. He was
selling their meats, soap, lard, and other byproducts. Armour & Company
was notorious for low compensation and also for banning unionization.
Carnagey was the most successful salesman in Omaha, and made his sales
territory the national leader of the company.
In 1911 he quit the job as a salesman in order to pursue a lifelong
dream to become a lecturer with then popular adult education courses in
Chautauqua, near Jamestown, New York. However, he ended up instead
attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, then
he tried acting with a touring troupe, but the production where he
played a role soon ended. He returned to New York, unemployed and
nearly broke, and was living at the YMCA on the 125 Street. There he
tried writing but without any success.
In 1912 Dale Carnagey persuaded the YMCA hostel manager to allow him to
teach a class on public speaking. He got himself a classroom in return
for 80% of the net proceeds. Carnagey was improvising from his first
session, and as he run out of material, he suggested that students
speak about "something that made them angry." Carnagey noticed that the
technique made his students unafraid to speak before an audience.
Although the same technique was known since ancient philosophical
schools, and has been widely used in group therapy, albeit Dale
Carnagey developed his own approach. He quickly became a successful
teacher capitalizing on the average American's desire to have more
self-confidence.
In 1913 Dale Carnagey published his first bestselling book: "Public
Speaking and Influencing Men in Business" (1913-1932 with updates and
revisions). In 1914 he was earning 500 dollars a week, which at that
time was the price of a new Ford Model T. In 1916 Dale Carnagey was
able to rent the New York's main venue, the Carnegie Hall, and his
lectures were sold out. In 1919 he changed the spelling of his name
from Carnagey to Carnegie. In 1926 he published the first collection of
his writings titled "Public Speaking: a practical Course for Business
Men." The book became a bestseller, and the author became rich.
However, he lost all his savings in the stock market crash of 1929.
Dale Carnegie learned to accept the worst that can happen, then proceed
to improve on the worst. His own experience was the source for his
bestselling books: "Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business"
and "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (1936). The latter book
had 17 printings in the first year. He also wrote "Lincoln the
Unknown," a biography of president
Abraham Lincoln. Carnegie
developed famous courses on self-improvement, salesmanship, and
corporate training programs, as well, as programs for improvement in
public speaking skills and interpersonal skills.
Dale Carnegie died at age 66, of a Hodgkin's lymphoma, complicated with
uremia, on November 1, 1955, in Forest Hills, New York. He was laid to
rest in the Belton cemetery, Cass County, Missouri, USA.
Over 50 million copies of Dale Carnegie's books were sold worldwide,
translated in about 40 languages. In the late 1950s Soviet leader
Nikita Khrushchev visited America with
top Soviet experts for learning and using the most efficient American
business techniques in the Soviet government. Carnegie's books were
then translated into Russian for exclusive use by the privileged
leadership of the Soviet Communist party and the KGB. Carnegie's books
were disallowed to general Russian public until 'perestroika' reforms
were initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev.
The Dale Carnegie Course is a popular tool for a shy person to overcome
social anxiety in a tough business environment. It was completed by
millions of students in 75 countries. Though the course has been
criticized by some for it's somewhat manipulative techniques and
self-promotional goals, it remains in demand. The Dale Carnegie course
teaches that students should be sincere and genuine in their interests
to their partner or to the object of their business. Carnegie was an
early proponent of responsibility assumption; his core idea was that
behavior of other people may be changed by changing one's reaction to
them.
