We have more access to communication options than ever before. We can send texts from across the world, email while flying 35,000 feet in the air, and have virtual meetings in our pajamas at home. However, communication is a skill at which a lot of people have room for improvement. By learning from the experts, you can take your communication skills up several notches to help you get what you want out of life by working in tandem with other people, both personally and professionally.
11 Of The Best Books On Communication
1. How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships
Author: Leil Lowndes If you think your lack of communication skills is holding you back in business or personal relationships, reading this book may help. Leil Lowndes teaches you how to communicate to be successful using 92 techniques from making a positive first impression to developing a deep rapport with people. Backed by research, these techniques have stood the test of time, yet continue to enlighten readers. Lowndes offers her tips in a concise, direct manner with personal anecdotes and humor throughout. Her techniques help readers enter conversations with a renewed sense of confidence and sophistication.
2. Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Authors: Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler The authors wrote this book with the idea that conversations control the direction of life. Relationships begin and end with conversations and teams are created and broken apart. Conversations are where goals are created, expectations are set, and visions come to life. This book is great for those who get nervous during emotionally charged or otherwise important conversations and therefore speak without thinking. Readers have reported that reading this book has helped them enter conversations more prepared to have a discussion rather than an argument.
3. The Power of Charm: How to Win Anyone Over in Any Situation
Authors: Brian Tracy and Ron Arden The authors improve your ability to captivate an audience through your charm and persuasion. Becoming more charming can benefit you in your social and professional life, and the methods laid out in this book can be put to work right away. If you don’t think you’re charming, reading this book will challenge that belief. Tracy teaches you to build self-esteem and create a natural vibe with others as they’re talking to improve your interpersonal relationship skills. You learn the importance of listening and how giving other people the chance to be heard encourages them to open up to you and be more receptive to your message in return.
4. 4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication in Love, Life, Work–Anywhere!
Authors: Bento Leal This “how-to” guide helps you overcome the communication hurdles that prevent you from having the best relationships with others as possible. This helpful for people who find themselves dealing with conflicts, disagreements, and inconsistency in their relationships. This is a great option for couples to read together if they need to improve their communication. The information is clearly presented and leaves readers with a renewed sense of understanding and empathy that is critical in maintaining any type of relationship.
5. People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts
Author: Robert Bolto This practical guide to effective communication helps you expel common barriers people face when interacting with others. T he author explains the top twelve communication roadblocks that damage relationships by making people act defensively or aggressive in their word choice and delivery. The lessons in this book teach you to listen, be assertive without being aggressive, and effectively practice conflict resolution. These skills help people communicate peacefully, even in high-stress situations. The thought-provoking nature of this book teaches you how to stand up for yourself–even when facing aggressive people–while still being nice. After reading this book, you’ll recognize your own role in creating barriers in your relationships through communication pitfalls.
6. How To Win Friends and Influence People
Author: Dale Carnegie In this bestseller, Carnegie teaches you how to make people like you, how to persuade people into your way of thinking, and how to change people without triggering resentment. Originally published in 1937, this classic guide includes anecdotes of historical figures, business leaders, and everyday people, giving you a comprehensive understanding of human behavior that remains relevant today. The lessons in this book have helped many readers who knew their communication skills needed some improvement, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what they needed to change.
7. I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships
Author: Michael Sorensen No matter if you want to improve your relationship with your partner or your colleagues, Sorensen offers clear, actionable, and proven techniques to help you do so. He focuses on the skill of validating other people during conversations to resolve conflicts, become more supportive, and reduce uncertainties. Readers have been surprised at the positive impact reading this book has made on their lives and relationships. Sorensen’s advice is based on his own extensive research on how to live a fulfilling life, and he passes on his knowledge in a conversational, easy-to-read tone.
8. Communication Miracles for Couples: Easy and Effective Tools to Create More Love and Less Conflict
Author: Jonathan Robinson If your goal is to improve your relationship with your spouse, the effective methods that Jonathan Robinson offers in this book can help you do just that. Robinson teaches you how to communicate without blaming your spouse and with a better sense of understanding. With just making some simple changes, your relationship can transform into one with more intimacy, acknowledgement, and appreciation. After reading this book, you’ll find that the conflict between you and your spouse reduces and the tendency to place blame on one another diminishes. This might be the right book for you if you’re looking for a spiritual partnership with your spouse. Readers have found this to be an easy read with actionable tips.
9. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Author: Douglas Stone People often try to avoid tough conversations–both at work and at home. How often do you really want to fire someone or get into a fight with your spouse? Douglas Stone offers a step-by-step guide to approaching these difficult conversations with less stress and better outcomes. Readers have found this book to be thought-provoking, as the author gives practical advice on how to talk through difficult situations. If you’re having problems at work, you can enter your next meeting prepared to reduce any existing tension by using the strategies in this book.
10. Simply Said: Communicating Better at Work and Beyond
Author: Jay Sullivan This is a helpful book for anyone who is trying to improve their professional communication skills. Jay Sullivan links communication skills with specific scenarios to help you relate to the material and improve your professional outcomes. Whether you want to build your presentation skills or your email etiquette, his tips will help you achieve success. Readers have seen improvement in their leadership skills after reading this book. The practical advice is offered in a straightforward manner that’s easy to understand and implement.
11. The Fine Art of Small Talk: How To Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills — and Leave a Positive Impression!
Author: Debra Fine Do you dread having to make small talk at parties, networking events, or if you run into someone in the breakroom? If so, you can learn strategies and techniques by reading this book that will help you feel more comfortable in social situations. Debra Fine’s advice is constructive and reasonable to implement. She offers cheat sheets to use for any type of social situation, from a job interview to a blind date. Reading this book will also teach you what not to do, as Fine lists the common behaviors that can quickly squash a conversation. 30 Almost Painless Ways To Meet New People 4 Common Communication Styles In Love Relationships (And The Workplace) 33 Of The Best Books On Self-Confidence Final Thoughts All of these books on communication can help you improve your overall communication skills, as well as your skills within each niche of the various authors’ focus. Pick up one that seems to be the most relevant to the areas for potential improvement that you have and put the techniques and strategies to the test. If you can improve your communication skills, you’re likely to see a domino effect in its benefits in your life.
