Books to Improve Your Communication skills is something we need to look forward to if you are to keep up with the changing phase of time. Words and how we use them to play a vital role in defining the person that we are. Some of us are born with it, and some need to cultivate it; nevertheless, the words define us as humans. As the much-loved ‘Homo Sapiens,’ we have the gift of language, a feat not enjoyed by the other species. However, not all of us know what to do with this gift. Have you felt that you fumble with words when faced with a situation? Have you been doing everything right yet no profitable results come your way? You are a nice person, so why are you being targeted for other sadistic sports? There is a loop, perhaps to need to know of, and it is the ‘art of using the right words. We at ATB are here to help you pick out the right books according to the situation you might be facing or the person that you are. So here is the list of the 15 best books to improve your communication skills:
Contents
- Books to Improve Your Communication Skills
- 1. How To Talk to Anyone- Leil Lowndes
- 2. Never Split the Difference- Chriss Voss
- 3. How to Win Friends & Influence People- Dale Carnegie
- 4. Talk Like Ted- Carmine Gallo
- 5. Word Wise- Will Jelbert
- 6. Five Stars- By Carmine Gallo
- 7. We Need to Talk- By Celeste Headlee
- 8. Just Listen- By Mark Goulston
- 9. Crucial Conversations- By joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, and AI Switzler
- 10. How To Speak, How To Listen-By Mortimer J.Adler
- 11. Always Know What to Say- By Peter W. Murphy
- 12. Simply Said- By Jay Sullivan
- 13. If I understood You, Would I Have This look on My Face?-By Alan Alda
- 14. Words That Change Minds By Shelle Rose Charvet
- 15. Words That Work- By Dr Frank Luntz
- Books to Improve Your Communication Skills - The Conclusion
Books to Improve Your Communication Skills
The Focus: The book focuses on the aspect that not everything in life is credited to luck, and some of it is all about creating your luck. The book has emerged to be a bestseller worldwide as it deals with one of the trickiest tools used by man- communication.
What Is It About?
Being caught up in your tongue is one of the most common problems one might face. We often find ourselves in ‘the perfect situation with the imperfect set of words.’ Hence, ruining a potentially successful association in no time. ‘How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes is one such read that helps ‘coach’ a person to deal with a set of specific situations. Some of the prime ones are:
- How to Excel at small talks.
- How to Start a conversation.
- Conversation on Jobs.
- Challenging Conversation topics.
- How to make others feel special.
- How to Sound Like You Understand Their Passions.
- How to Talk to a Celebrity.
- How to Make Them Feel Like You Are Similar.
These are some of the few highlights from this amazing book that will help you reel in various situations. How To Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes offers an insight into the ‘X-factor’ that one wishes about when they see a ‘lucky person across the room who seems to have everything in life.
2. Never Split the Difference- Chriss Voss
This is one of the best books to read to improve communication skills by Chriss Voss. A masterpiece from a former FBI, the book is all about how to sell your idea to the opposite person and make them believe as their own.
The Focus: The book focuses on the art of applying the right kind of strategies in communication to break the deal in your favour without offending the other party.
What Is It About?
The book explores the various negotiation strategies that are much more than just an individual’s experience. Some of the highlights of the book are:
- You need more than just your experience to be able to define a universal or a semi-universal rule.
- While it is easier to track a short-term effect of a certain action based on an individual’s life experience, a true winning streak is when you can choose the strategies to generate long-term results.
Voss implies that one can apply specified negotiation strategies for various situations accordingly. Never Split the Difference by Chriss Voss is not your regular book based on communication ‘par se’ but helps you negotiate conflicting situations in your everyday life. The book is more about what you expect from the other person by applying a fine blend of psychological and Emotional intelligence. Some of the main aspects of negotiation covered by Chris Voss are:
- Use various listening skills like Mirroring, Silence, and Voice changes to get the information you want.
- Use of tactical Empathy through emotional labelling and accusation auditing.
- Bring about rapport with the other party by summarizing the worldview.
- Allow the other person to say a ‘No’ to give them the illusion of control.
- Solidify the expectations to set limits to the conversation.
- The use of calibrated questioning in order so that the other party bids against themselves makes this among the top books to improve your communication skills.
- Use of calibrated questioning, labels, and Summaries to reaffirm the ‘said’ agreement a minimum of three times for the execution to take place.
- To be able to identify various negotiation styles and behavioural patterns for a better ‘deal’ in your favour.
- Use of anger and aggression only strategically.
- To gain knowledge outside of the regular expectation, hence offer a surprise element.
What Is It About?
With over 45 million copies of the book sold worldwide, this is among the best if you need to buy books to improve communication skills. The book’s first version was published in 1936 and has since been re-published various times. This book remains a bestseller even after the author’s death in the year 1955.
The Focus: The book’s main aim is to be able to revive some of the more striking examples offered in the book. Also, Carnegie’s wife and daughter aim to maintain the essence of the book alive with the changing times.
WHY IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ON INVESTMENT?
One of the most unique aspects of the book are the eight rules that the author persists the reader on following to derive the most out of it:
- The main desire to learn.
- Reading each chapter twice, minimum.
- Interrupt the process of frequently reading to absorb the book’s essence.
- Be sure to underline the points you find important.
- To re-read the book often, at least every month.
- To be able to apply the Principles wherever possible.
- Convert the book into a fun game and involve your friends in it.
- Monitor your progress every week.
The book is essentially about being able to nurture the relationships to drive the most from it. Some of the major highlights from the book are:
Principle #1: Don’t criticize, don’t condemn, and don’t complain.
Principal # 2: Compliment sincerely and honestly.
Principal # 3: Motivate often to do what you propose.
Principal # 4: Be genuinely interested in others.
Principal # 5: Have a smile.
Principal # 6: Remember a person’s name so that they are important.
Principal # 7: Learn to listen. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Principal # 8: Talk to people about what they are interested in.
Principal # 9: Make others feel important and do it sincerely.
Principal # 10: Avoid controversy unless you can come out on top.
The book has been a winner throughout and loved by most people across the world as it demonstrates the people on how to ‘tweek’ their temperament to be able to win both the argument and the person on to your side.
Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo is one of the most popular among books to improve professional communication skills. Though it sounds much like the popular motivational talk show where the winners, survivors, and successful people from various backgrounds tell their stories, the book is slightly different.
The Focus: The main takeaway of the book is the fact that it teaches you the art of being able to talk in public about a story that can inspire others. ‘Talk like Ted’ allows the reader to develop the kind of confidence one requires when you have to hold an audience’s attention and be memorable.
What Is It About?
Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallon is your go-to book if you have been struggling with public speaking. The book offers basic insight into what the audience is seeking when they are all ears to your story. A few important highlights from the book are:
- Passion with purpose: it is necessary to ‘feel’ your story. Be sure to be able to exude your winning streak to inspire the public.
- The Art of Storytelling: We all love a good story. A well-sorted-out narrative is all we need when we need to be able to relate to the story being told.
- Connect with the Audience: Be sure not to come across a person who is ‘full of themselves. This can be achieved when your body language is in sync with what you are talking about.
- Something New: Your story should always have something new to offer to the people listening to you. This offers the listener an entertainment element that can ‘tickle’ their senses.
- The Moment: These are the emotionally charged moments that you need to plant within your talk to offer the people something to remember you by.
- The 18-Minute Rule: Nobody wants to listen to a lecture anymore. Your talk should be crisp, entertaining, informative, knowledgeable, and 18-minutes long. The book emphasizes that the human attention span is short, and you need to bank upon it as you tell your story.
- The Multisensory Experiences: Try making your talks as interesting as possible. Include various aspects like audio and images to make your talk more engaging for the audience.
- Be Real: It is important to be able to come across as a genuine person. Do not fake your story, emotions, or anecdotes; most times, the audience can very well make out.
Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo is a must-read. Not just to those who are struggling with public speaking but also to those who simply need to be able to talk to people around them.
The Word Wise is one of the best books to improve business communications skills, everyday language, trendy terminologies, etc. This is one of those books that can help you deepen your communication skills and more.
The Focus: The book aims at being able to assist the reader in learning to communicate successfully in various settings, situations, and people.
What Is It About?
This book is unique, to say the least. Wordwise explores various genres of word usage: AI, Social Media, Presidential speech, street-lingo, and much more. The book covers 400+ cases of both word trash and Word power. Hence, one can easily make enhanced connections when dealing with different groups of people. The main takeaway of this book is that it is not boring. It successfully illustrates the various applications of the words with the used of wit, humour, practical applications, and a good amount of Grammar to go with it.
Speak like a Brand when you want to be accepted as a brand. The ‘Five Stars’ by Gallo helps you just do that. The author is a bestseller who has previously offered the readers gems like ‘Talk like Ted.’ Not just that, Gallo, who has been a communication advisor to some of the biggest brands, offers skills and tips into ‘upgrading’ your communication skills.
The Focus: The book aims at making the user stand out when it comes to their communication skills. As the name suggests, the book is all about enhancing one’s conversation into being able to create a brand out of oneself.
What Is It About?
This book can be declared as a combination of ancient wisdom, famous anecdotes, psychological facts, and emotional intelligence to ace up their power of persuasion. One can enjoy the read, as it offers a unique outlook of considering communication as a ‘soft skill.’ Here you will be entertained with some of the most interesting interviews with Scientists, leaders, and also common people. Various brands like Airbnb, Google, Nike, and others are included to offer the reader a better insight into what goes on inside the minds of Billionaires and popular figures of our society.
As communication is much quicker and more impactful in the time and age today, our communication skills need to be nurtured accordingly. The book is a manual on how to navigate from mediocre communication skills to being able to ace the game to be regarded as a brand. Some of the highlights from the book are:
- Warren Buffett and his unique skill on increasing your value by 50%.
- Perfect for people who are as good as their ideas, as 75% of your income heavily depends on how you sell your ideas.
- The 3-part formula used by the founders of Airbnb into making it the success it is today.
- It is alright to use a third-grade language to rope-in adult listeners.
- The ultimate hack was used by the likes of Steve Jobs, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Picasso to tap into their best ideas yet.
‘Five-Stars’ is a perfect read for people who are trying to get into that ‘secret’ to being able to talk into selling like a brand. It is a go-to for the young readers of today, who aspire to make their mark in the competitive market of today.
How does reading improve your communication skills? Well, books like ‘We Need To talk’ by Celeste Headlee can make all the difference to your conversation skills.
The Focus: The book aims at bringing forward the generation that has grown from ‘behind the screens’ to be able to converse comfortably in person.
What Is It About?
The book has been featured among ‘NPR’s Best Books of 2017’ and is also has been honoured with Silver Nautilus Award in relationships and communications. Some of the major highlights of the book are:
The art of Multitasking: Are you capable of typing an email as you manage a business call simultaneously? Wait, is that even possible? Yes, and you as a human are very much capable of doing that. Buy the book to know exactly how. Imagine the productivity you can generate if you learn the art of successful multi-tasking.
Checking Your Bias: This process involves checking on your blind spots, despite all the intelligence you might possess. Most of us are so engulfed in our security that we tend to underestimate both our situations and the people around us.
Take A Break from Your phone: For the conversation to take place more organically, you must get rid of your phone while you are at it. This could include talking to your kids, your friends, or your spouse. The book points out that the mere presence of the phone nearby can alter how you talk, connect or converse with the other person.
‘We Need To Talk’ is just what it sounds like. A book to help finally get your attention on to the present. The fleeting attention span most of us suffer from due to the ‘digital distraction’ is well-addressed in this book. Get a copy today, If you need to learn the art of being a better conversationalist while dealing with the baggage that the digital era has bought into our lives.
Just Listen By Mark Goulston is your ‘one-stop-destination’ for all communication hiccups you might face in your everyday life.
The Focus: The book deals with the difficult person in your life. We all have our roadblocks when it comes to achieving the kind of successful relationship we aspire for.
What Is It About?
Some of us are born with it, while others need an extra push. The conversation we are talking about can make or break our relationship with the niche in society. While talking with your loved ones is often taken for granted, what can you do about the difficult people surrounding you? ‘Just Listen’ allows us to practice the tips, tricks, and know-hows upon how to deal with aggressive, stubborn, and angry people around us. Not just that, but the book goes a step further into helping you crack a successful deal with an impossible to manage kind of client. The secret ingredient, according to Goulston, is to be able to listen. Simple. Furthermore, you are also offered how to successfully negotiate, manage, and persuade sales, strangers, and enemies.
“The quality of your life comes out of the quality of your dialogues and conversations. Here’s how to instantly uplift your crucial conversations.”
—Mark Victor Hansen, cocreator of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul
The Focus: The book aims to help laymen to master the art of conversation when things take a wrong turn.
What Is It About?
This is the book’s second edition from the same authors and title. Much like the previous edition, this latest offering allows the reader to be able to successfully channel the negative emotions arising out of a situation into a more positive one. Some of the major pointers that the book deals with are:
- Gearing up for the high-stake situations.
- The ability to transform anger and aggression into well-constructed conversations.
- The art of being able to talk about anything under the sun diplomatically.
- The ability to be persuasive and not abrasive.
This is among the best Books to Improve Your Communication skills and much more. This is a gem of a book when it comes to being able to be a master communicator.
The Focus: This book brings forward some of the prime principles of being able to carry out a successful conversation.
What Is It About?
‘How To Speak, How To Listen By Mortimer J.Adler’ is a must-read if you are on the lookout for upgrading your communication skills. This includes how to be able to talk sales, lectures, and question-answer sessions. Also, the book brings to focus the fact that it is just as vital to be a good listener and learn during various discussions. The book has been declared to be a ‘living classic’ with nearly half a million copies sold. The author, Mortimer J Adler, is an accomplished philosopher and academic and brings to your home through the book the deeper knowledge into the art of being able to talk successfully.
To start with, this is not a very long book that goes from page to page and needs a day to complete. This book is only 17 pages and effectively manages to cover some of the most vital aspects of skilful communication.
The Focus: A short, pointwise explanation of being able to handle some very tricky conversation situations along with our everyday talks’.
What Is It About?
This is a nice handy book if you are on the lookout for simple-to-understand directives on how to manage successful conversations. Some of the vital highlights of the book are:
- How to approach anyone to be able to talk comfortably.
- The nine ways to approach anyone to be able to talk easily.
- How to get rid of nervousness when meeting new people.
- Top 6 tips on how to avoid getting stuck with words.
- Top 10 interesting topics for every occasion.
- The art of questioning to keep the conversation going.
- Listening skills on how to be an accomplished conversationalist.
- Read people like a book by understanding the body language.
To display your likeness for an individual and befriend them with ease.
This book has more to do with using conversation skills successfully in our everyday lives.
This is one of the best books to improve business communications skills and to win a sticky situation. Jay Sullivan has done a great job of trying to improve communication skills to excel in our everyday lives.
The Focus: The book’s main idea is to help the reader be able to handle tough situations, deal with persuasive messages, and be able to manage difficult conversations.
What Is It About?
‘Simply Said’ by Jay Sulivan is about being able to deliver the right message across and ensuring nothing is lost ‘in-between.’ There are times when we feel we are not being heard, or your message has been misinterpreted, to say the least. The result? Ruined opportunities, bad relationships, missed chances at better propagation of ideas, and not being able to get to the position you could be at.
The best part about this book is that it shows you how to be able to influence the people around you into ‘selling your ideas’ to them. This simple yet effective art goes a long way into ensuring that you do not end up being misquoted, misinterpreted, or misunderstood. A must-have if you are new to the business scenario or wish to get a notch higher in your game.
“Invaluable.”—Deborah Tannen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of You’re the Only One I Can Tell, and You Just Don’t Understand
To begin with, this book is a fun read, and it is entertaining and informative at the same time. The book takes a story-like format by the award-winning actor Alan Alda.
The Focus: The main aspect of the book is to help the reader to be able to navigate into managing difficult communication ideas.
What Is It About?
If I understood You, Would I Have This look on My Face? By Alan Alda is a must buy if you have been lost regarding acing the communication game. Some of the highlights of the book are:
Conclusion: Being able to communicate better to avoid unnecessary problems that arrive our way.
- Being able to relate to the other person, to be able to improve our learning about the other person.
- The art of listening with our eyes, not just the ears.
- Face-reading the other person to be able to understand what they mean when they speak.
- In the art of storytelling, everyone likes a good story they can sink their teeth onto.
- To be able to get in sync with the other person so that you are successful in establishing a rapport for a better conversation.
Alan Alda has utilized the clever art he has learned from his years in theatre to apply the Storytelling techniques to be better at conversations. The author goes ahead to point out that with better empathy and mind-reading skills, one can establish better communication with the other person.
A wonderful book by a bestselling author and international expert on influential language, Shell Rose Charvet has a treat in the form of words. The book allows us an insight into being able to communicate with people who are ‘tough to get through.
The Focus: The idea of the book is to be able to convince people who are hard to convince. In this book, Shelle talks about the art of convincing without being manipulative.
WHY IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ON INVESTMENT?
This must-read is a perfect opportunity to be able to get through to people who build walls around themselves. Words That Change Minds By Shelle Rose Charvet is all about using the right kind of words to influence the people around you the right way. The key is to avoid manipulation or to come across as a fake. The writer talks about people who have a communication wall all around themselves but leave a few bricks’ open’. This is where good communication can come in handy to be able to ‘fit into’ that brick-shaped hole in the wall. Before you know it, you have walked your way across and have managed to make a friend, alliance, associate, or partner. Some of the highlights from the book are:
- Using Science and practice for a better influence.
- Understanding the better art of being able to motivate people into making the right decision and results.
- To be able to create a good rapport and credibility with any person or individual
- The art of being able to deflect saying or doing the wrong things, hence ruining a possible prospect.
- To be able to increase your influence to be able to do better at teamwork and mass communications.
This is a true winner from Shelle Rose Charvet, as it involves being able to read into the minds of the other person. It is a must-read if you wish to get into the subconsciousness of the other person by the subtle art of managing the right language skills to be able to talk to anyone.
“It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear. You can have the best message in the world, but the person on the receiving end will always understand it through the prism of his or her own emotions, preconceptions, prejudices, and preexisting beliefs.” Words That Work- By Dr Frank Luntz.
The Focus: The book deals with the art of being able to use the right words to be able to ‘influence’ the right results, purchases, deals, and everyday relationships.
What Is It About?
The words work wonders when used at the right time at the right place with the right person. The author emphasizes the fact that words can both trigger emotions and understanding from a person or a group. Some of the major highlights from the book are:
- Use of small words more often.
- Use of short sentences.
- Credibility and Philosophy go hand in hand.
- Consistency is an important aspect of communication.
- To be able to offer news to the other person when conversing.
- It matters how you ‘sound.’
- It is important to remember that people remember how you made them feel at the end of a conversation.
- It is vital to visualize where you are going with your conversation mode.
- Asking questions is necessary to be able to direct the person to reach a point you want them to.
- It is important to offer context and explain the relevance.
Dr Frank is a celebrated author who has used his knowledge and expertise to assist many Fortune 500 companies in attaining their goals. This is a handy book if you are on the lookout to be able to ‘walk into’ or ‘walkout of’ any situation.
Books to Improve Your Communication Skills - The Conclusion
We are an ever-evolving species; hence, we need to always be in the quest to ‘up our word game.’ You could be an introvert, an extrovert, a simple man, a celebrity, a business person, a shy person, a loud person, or an awkward person. There is always a book perfect for your purpose. Search it out and get reading into being able to be better with ‘what you speak.’