A few more endorsements...

+1 for Dr Cialdini. The Influence books are some of the best books for those looking to put structure/substance to things that we all sort of knew but could never quite put into words. For the record, he may be perhaps the single most boring personal speaker (his delivery is sooooo dull) but the substance is pure gold. If you don't like the book(s) try the audio CD but be warned, the first 20 minutes are BORING but stick with it. Worth every minute and you'll find yourself saying over and over "Aha! that's why that worked".
{{Side note: Montanero, Cialdini is pretty obscure compared to the big names out there. Clearly you've done a lot of work in this area.}}

I'm also a big Stephen Covey fan. Some of the his thoughts on interpersonal skills are simply spot-on. My personal favorite being his thoughts on working to first understand before being understood. I can't tell you just how powerful that concept is in the real world (and business).

Finally, there are two quotes I've found helpful over the years. Both come out of some serious sales training programs but I've found them to applicable to life in general...

- "People buy on emotion, and justify with reason" Why many of us want to disagree with this, it's often very very true. We "feel" a certain way about something, then look to justify those feelings with logic. The lesson here being if we only address the rational side, people will often still be very resistant to change/acceptance.

-"People won't remember what you say, they may remember what you do, they WILL remember how you made them feel". Clearly this quote is not to be taken literally. But the truth behind it is undeniable. Ask yourself, deep down inside, why you feel the way you do about people you've met. Beyond the word they kept (or broke), beyond what they did (or failed to), it's how those things made you feel. Important (or betrayed) for example. {{ The beef jerky example above is this concept in action. The jerky was no big deal, how it made those folks feel was }}

I know this is a rather squishy topic for a survial forum. But you just may find this way of thinking and focus on interpersonal skills will be one of the most valuable EDC's you can have.

Hope this helps,