Yes and yes. I am not a fan of "self-help" books, though this book could or could not be labeled as such. As someone who has for most of my life been quite socially inept, have found it very useful.

After reading this book, I try to make every conversation I have into a little game, where the goal is to get the other person to talk more, and about themselves, than I do. I tend to love to talk about myself, and think almost everything I say is very important.