by(shelved 16 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.11 — 341 ratings — published 1997
by(shelved 16 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.01 — 41,027 ratings — published 2001
by(shelved 10 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.18 — 443,822 ratings — published 1936
by(shelved 7 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.11 — 5,606 ratings — published 2009
by(shelved 7 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.98 — 19,886 ratings — published 2004
by(shelved 6 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.78 — 16,969 ratings — published 1999
by(shelved 6 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.07 — 9,611 ratings — published 1999
by(shelved 5 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.91 — 16,605 ratings — published 2008
by(shelved 5 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.92 — 50,154 ratings — published 1981
by(shelved 4 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.90 — 2,775 ratings — published 1915
by(shelved 4 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.83 — 2,721 ratings — published 1983
by(shelved 4 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.27 — 9,236 ratings — published 1956
by(shelved 4 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.92 — 8,845 ratings — published 2014
by(shelved 4 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.83 — 928 ratings — published 2012
by(shelved 4 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.85 — 36,654 ratings — published 2005
by(shelved 4 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.18 — 75,333 ratings — published 1984
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.07 — 4,927 ratings — published 1962
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.08 — 250 ratings — published 2012
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.26 — 1,140 ratings — published 1965
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.25 — 19,298 ratings — published 1976
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.20 — 64,515 ratings — published 1918
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.95 — 62,932 ratings — published 2006
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.07 — 13,004 ratings — published 2007
by(shelved 3 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.34 — 12,591 ratings — published 1999
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.20 — 41,248 ratings — published 1992
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.97 — 207 ratings — published
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.27 — 256 ratings — published 2013
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.87 — 480 ratings — published 1980
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.40 — 22,328 ratings — published 2016
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.06 — 1,157 ratings — published 1995
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.06 — 70 ratings — published 2011
![Skills Skills](https://bonlacfoods.com:443/images/communication-skills-handout-pdf/communication-skills-handout-pdf-5.jpg)
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.40 — 2,280 ratings — published 1997
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.01 — 66,071 ratings — published 1995
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.12 — 2,914 ratings — published 2010
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.50 — 620 ratings — published 1989
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.18 — 808 ratings — published 1998
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.93 — 353 ratings — published 1983
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.01 — 570 ratings — published 2010
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.09 — 5,236 ratings — published 2009
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.45 — 963 ratings — published 2000
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.19 — 3,274 ratings — published 2011
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.44 — 176 ratings — published 1951
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.04 — 474 ratings — published 1993
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.00 — 276 ratings — published 2014
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.94 — 11,550 ratings — published 2008
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 5.00 — 1 rating — published 2008
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.54 — 145,581 ratings — published 1992
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 4.11 — 5,714 ratings — published 2004
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.56 — 1,324 ratings — published 1991
by(shelved 2 times as communication-skills)
avg rating 3.66 — 1,223 ratings — published 1994
―
―
More quotes..
It is inevitable that you require exceptional and effective communication skills for your success and success of your business. No matter what you do developing effective communication skills can help you reach your full potential. They add that wow factor in your personality.
Communicating effectively is needed in business, workplace and in personal life, it at least help you sent your message across in a smarter and humane way.
Some people are just too good to sent the message across in few words, like Finnish people, how are very precise when comes to comunication.
Today, we thought to present you an amazing list of books on effective communication skills. This list contains books rated highest on Amazon by readers. The reviews are also awesome. These books have really changed people lives. These are the best books when it comes to effective communication skills. Some of these books have taken Steve Jobs presentation a communication style in a greate detail
1. How to talk to anyone by Leil Lowndes
This book is incredible, it gives detailed 92 tricks for big success in relationships. You can totally learn A-Z of effective communication skills with this single book.
The book starts with a really interesting quote, it says:
There are two kinds of people in this life: Those who walk in to a room and say, “Well, here I am”
And those who walk in and say, “Ahh, there you are.”
This quote makes the readers more intrigued. This book can definitely refine your communication skills. Then again this book impresses you right after you start reading it. It says:
“You only have ten seconds to show you’re somebody”
This book is among the top sellers on amazon and you can get it by searching its name in the amazon search bar.
2. Influencer: The new science of leading change by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
This book stresses on the importance of being able to induce change. This book connects the top leaders with a common thread. The books focuses on the leader’s ability to influence and make a profound change. This book isn’t about persuasion but it’s about modifying human habits to induce important change.
The books says:
“As a result of failed influence efforts and unfulfilled dreams, most of us grow impatient.”
The book quotes Warren Bennis saying:
“I wanted influence. In the end I wasn’t very good at being university president. I looked out of the window and thought that man cutting grass has more control over what he was doing.”
Thus, this book is all about influencing people with exceptional skills like effective communication packed with many others to nourish change.
![Skills Skills](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2G2jdxM6S8M/hqdefault.jpg)
3. How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
This book focuses on how to deal with people especially when you are doing a business. The book provides highly practical and simple rules which can just be used as it is. There are no theories just the work done, ready to implement. This book can help you find new people and influence them the moment you meet them.
For instance at one point, the book says:
Just as simple as it sounds. It is even simpler to implement. Few words communicate everything you need to know about being a good influencer.
4. Talk like TED: The 9 public speaking secrets by Carmine Gallo
This book focuses on the techniques which make you an exceptional speaker. This is the most important pillar of effective communication skills. When you have effective communication skills, you don’t fear public speaking. In fact, public speaking becomes a charm.
The book is mostly focused on the Steve Jobs communication and presentation style. You can check out our latest blog on Steve Jobs Presentation Style to quickly learn about effective communication skills taught by Steve Jobs. The article also contains additional presentation skills and public speaking tips.
The book quotes Steve Jobs, saying:
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
5. Crucial conversations by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
This book explains the patterns that people follow while stakes are high.
The books quotes various authors, for instance one quote by George Bernard Shaw says:
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Cannon tv show episode guide.
This books focuses on implanting effective communication skills when it comes to crucial conversations. It also teaches how to negotiate accordingly.
6. Never split the difference by Chris Voss
This book teaches you the art of negotiation. It teaches you to negotiate as if your life entirely depends upon it. It insists that negotiation is an art and you should be master at it.
In chapter 3, it says:
7. Skill with people by Les Gibli
This book is all in one package. You can’t possibly ask for more. This book teaches you to master every communication. Whether you need to communicate to your boss or just want to clear out some stuff with family. It is the right book for you.
It says:
“The art of dealing with people gives you the tools to take your people skills to a level that you never thought possible.”
8. On speaking well by Peggy Noonan
This books gives insight of speaking exceptionally. This book is full of great advices on how to write and how to speak, especially when it comes to delivering speeches. Speeches give you a great chance to leave impression on people. This book helps you in doing that with proper knowledge and concept.
It says:
“A vivid imagination is a sign of intelligence and intelligent people can give speeches”.
9. How to speak, how to listen by Mortimer J. Adler
This book teaches you a lot. Unlike many others, it also takes care of your listening as well as speaking. Because no one focuses on listening and listening is important part of sound communication skills.
The book says:
“How extraordinary is the fact that no effort is made anywhere in the whole educational process to help individuals learn to listen well- at least well enough to close the circuit and make speech effective as a means of communication.”
10. Always Know What To Say by Peter W. Murphy
This book is about breaking those large ice cubes that stop you from communicating with people. It is also about initiating, making small talk and even interesting conversations.
It says:
“You`ll gain a lot from “Always Know What To Say” if you treat it as a set of principles and strategies you get to play with in the real world.”
Conversation is start of everything. Effective communication skills can take you very far on the way to success. Whether you want to influence someone, make new friends or just lead the people, communication is how you can do it. The importance of effective communication is undeniable.
Thank You for your interest in The Guide (a communication and conflict e-book)....but there's now an upgraded version!
You will have come to this page from one of the forms on the website advertising the original 48-page pdf ebook available from the website and costing $7.
Sorry if that's the case. I'm gradually replacing them with links to the upgraded version.
The upgraded version is now a 170 page book available on amazon for around $9.95.
Here is an image link to the webpage for A Guide to Effective Communication for Conflict Resolution - please click on the image below:
A Guide to Effective Communication for Conflict Resolution introduces the 9 Principles that are also described on this site to help the reader develop a 'mindfulness' in relation to their communication in a way that supports the resolution of conflict. In this book
Alan shares his observations and learnings from working as a Mediator and Conflict Coach with regard to the ways that people become stuck in unresolved conflict but also how they go on to create more effective ways forward in their difficult situations.
'I think you put together so well all the essential components of
conflict transformation in a way which people can relate to and
understand. A brilliant book and I will recommend it to everyone.' Jo Berrywww.buildingbridgesforpeace.org
However, you are welcome to proceed to purchase the original communication and conflict ebookThe Guide to The Principles of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution if you would prefer and the details are given below:
This 48-page Communication and Conflict e-book in pdf format explains the Principles of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution by which I and my colleagues in mediation operate in order to support people in transforming their difficulties with conflict into opportunities for learning, connection and insight.
Hi, I'm Alan Sharland
My work, for the past 18 years as a Mediator and Trainer in Conflict Management skills, has been to assist people in dispute. As a mediator I'm in the position of being able to observe common ways in which communication breaks down between people.
My role is then to assist them in creating more effective ways of communicating, and to find more creative ways of responding within their conflict so that the practical and emotional difficulties associated with it can be resolved.
It doesn't happen easily and sometimes it doesn't happen at all, but the obstacles to resolution and the communication mistakes become opportunities for those involved, and others, to learn from.
Many of those learnings and insights are presented within this Guide to Principles of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution and how to apply them.
It explains what to consider and become aware of when communicating with others and how the way in which we communicate can have an impact on whether a conflict remains unresolved, and hence the extent to which our relationships can be fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding or stressful, difficult and draining.
Thank you for your interest in developing more mindful communication and in seeing conflict as an opportunity for learning and growth.
Alan Sharland
CommunicationandConflict.com
Learn how YOU can make the Principles part of your normal communication practice and see the benefits they bring to your difficult situations and unresolved conflicts.
. Just $7!Why Buy The Guide?....
- Are you looking for guidance to help you resolve a dispute you are involved in?
- Do you want to improve your interpersonal communication and relationships with others?
- Do you find that your interactions with others sometimes feel superficial or lack intimacy?
- Do you want more confidence dealing with difficult conversations?
- Are you working with a group or team and want to understand why it is that communication sometimes breaks down between its members?
- Do you want a Guide that expects that you will 'mess up' sometimes and shows you how to learn from that experience?
- Do you want a Guide that provides you with challenges and exercises to help you reflect on your day to day communication practices and to improve on these?
- Do you want a Guide that can be a reference source for you long into the future because it is based on sound Principles that always have relevance to the practice of effective communication and conflict resolution?
If you answered 'Yes' to any of the above this Communication and Conflict e-book pdf - The Guide to the Principles of Effective Communication and Conflcit Resolution will help you.
Price: $7!
What people have said about The Guide: 'I can honestly say I think it's brilliant.. I have a feeling the points you have made will help a lot of people, including myself.' 'We are in the process of designing a 40 hour Civil Mediation training program and would like your permission to use some of your material with the proper citation and any other information you may want. We will be including your website and your ebook The Guide to the Principles of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution in our recommended reading/reference section as well. Dear Alan - I recently purchased The Guide which I think is excellent and highly useful in a personal and professional context. I am a teacher with the Skills Institute in Tasmania and I'm about to roll out communication training in Tasmania's only youth detention facility. I have an enormous amount of material regarding communication but none as succinct or as user-friendly as what you have developed. Clare Thompson |
A Communication and Conflict e-book that you don't have to 'rush' to read
The Guide is a reference book you can always return to whenever you have had a difficult communication with someone..
- It will help you to understand why what the other person said had a negative impact on you
- It will help you to understand why what you said may have had a similar effect on them.
- It will help you to create a different way of expressing yourself that will be more effective in responding to the difficult situation or destructive conflict.
Click Here to download a FREE Sample Chapter of The Guide.
The Guide is designed to be used over a period of 9 weeks but you can choose your own time frame for using it.
The reason it has been separated into one Principle per week is to allow you time to develop awareness of the common ways in which communication is practiced that do not take thePrinciples into account.
Once these are recognised, you can apply the Principles to your own communication practice in order to increase its effectiveness.
And what you then find as a 'bonus' is that your ability toresolve conflict and your ability to support others in resolving their conflicts is also enhanced.
$7!
As you browse through The Guide you may decide you do not wish to study the Principles in the order given and that is not a problem.
There will be cross references between thePrinciples as they are all underpinned by the Underlying Philosophies of Mediation discussed on the Communication and Conflict website and so the order in which you read them doesnot matter.
Footnote references to pages on the Communication and Conflict website that expand on the theme being discussed are given where relevant.
There is a blank page at the end of each chapter so that you can make notes or use to create a journal of your observations and reflections in relation to the Principle you are studying.
Once you've worked through the Guide you can return to it as a reference in any difficult communication or conflict-related situation.
The practice of each Principle has its own particular impact on the effectiveness of communication and on the possibility of resolving any conflicts you are involved in.
Some Principles may 'resonate' with you more than others and some may be more difficult to practice in certain relationships - such as with your parents or with your work colleagues or with your partner etc.
If that happens, it is a gift to be able to notice, as it then provides an opportunity for you to create more effective ways of responding using the Principles to help you.
Just $7!
Click Here to download a FREE Sample Chapter of The Guide.
The music on this video is 'The Past Remains' by Bob Holroyd from his album 'Hollowman'.
Buy Now for $7!
There are challenges and exercises that follow each Principle in The Guide that help you learn to apply them in daily life.
Textbook Download
These will help you develop an awareness, a mindfulness in your everyday communications.
As you develop this awareness, your confidence in dealing with difficult situations and responding to destructive conflicts more creatively and constructively will increase, as you will understand more about how the communication in the situation has affected it.
As a result, you will be able to make your communication more effective and be able to understand and empathise with others more, even if their communication does not follow the Principles.
Buy The Guide to the Principles of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution for just $7, and get a FREE COPY of the e-booklet Listening, Summarising and Questioning - The Simple, Effective Skills of Conflict Resolution
Click here to find out more about the FREE e-booklet that you receive when you purchase The Guide.
Click Here to download a sample Chapter of The Guide.
After reading and practicing the simple exercises in The Guide you will feel less agitated, anxious or overwhelmed by feelings or thoughts of the kind:
Why am I upset by that?
Why did they react so angrily when I said that?
I don't know how to say that without upsetting them.
I wish they wouldn't talk to me, I feel so awkward when they do.
Try The Guide out for yourself:
'I love the way that this Guide is divided into 9 weeks allowing us 1 week to practice the new communication skill. It also comes with links for further reading on his web site. This is great for people with little time because we can get straight to the point speedily or for those with more precious time can easily find more detailed passages.' Stacey McCall - www.creativityandconflict.com
Get your FREE Sample of The Guide to the Principles of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution....
But please don't forget, there is a new, upgraded version of The Guide called A Guide to Effective Communication for Conflict Resolutionavailable on Amazon:
Or Buy The Guide Now:
Online Textbooks
Buy Now for $7!
I Promise only to use your email to send you information relating to The Guide and the themes of this site. There is an immediate unsubscribe option available to you on any communications sent to you regarding this.
So what do you think? Do you want to see the rest of the Chapters?
Not sure?
Well I am asking you to spend money on it, so it's a bit of a risk isn't it?
So let me give you a Guarantee:
If you haven't found that The Guide has had a positive impact on your ability to communicate with others, if you haven't found that it has helped you respond more constructively to a conflict situation after 3 months, you can have your money back!
How about that?
Fair enough?
Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.- Kerry_Patterson,_Joseph_Grenny,_Ron_McMillan,_Al_(zlibraryexau2g3p_onion)2.pdf ..
- Brene_Brown_The_Gifts_of_Imperfection_Let_Go_of(zlibraryexau2g3p_onion).pdf The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You ..
- The_Miracle_Morning__The_Not-So-Obvious_Se_-_Hal_Elrod.pdf The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to ..
- Mel_Robbins_The_5_Second_Rule_Transform_your_Li(zlibraryexau2g3p_onion).pdf The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work ..
- Eckhart_Tolle_The_Power_Of_Now_-_A_Guide_To_Spir(zlibraryexau2g3p_onion).pdf ..
- Dr__Henry_Cloud,_Dr__John_Townsend_Boundaries_W(zlibraryexau2g3p_onion).pdf Boundaries Henry Cloud ..
- Importance of CommunicationSkills Objective 1 Importance of CommunicationSkills Objective ..
- the way of good verbal communication (Dan Bobinski: The Seven Deadly Sins of (Not). Listening ..
- communicationskills. WRITING FOR YOUR READER. ..
- Handbook of communication and social interaction skills/edited by John O. Greene and. Brant R Handbook of ..
- Carole L. Kimberlin, PhD. Professor and practitioners / [edited by] Robert S. Beardsley, Carole Communication ..
- Feedback is essential to the communication process. It tells the sender of the knowledge Business Correspondance ..
- School of Distance Education CommunicationSkills in English Page 7 Vowels Vowels are pronounced School of ..
- use English for written and spoken discourse. The book concentrates on those areas of grammar ..
- communicationskills as introduced in each unit. English for Business Communication Teacher's book ..
- 1. Syllabus. F.Y.B.Sc. IT. Professional CommunicationSkills. Unit I. The Seven C's SYLABUS ..
- Communication is the mortar that holds an organisation together, whatever its business or its size English Langu ..
- building of partner (6) SMS Internal Audit / Social Performance Review. Workbook 2 – Communication Workbook-2 ..
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills for Nurses COM & INTER SKILLS PT_gk.QXD 17/7/09 10:07 Pa ..
- the life skills program…peer education…empowering girls…communicationskills… Part I: The ..
- , ask . 9% Writing . participants to evaluate their listening skills. 50 Communications Activities ..
- in job and promotion: The communicationskills vary. CHAPTER I ..
- BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: BUILDING CRITICAL SKILLS She had also written Business and Administrative ..
- to the class and note to what degree communicationskills play a ..
- Good communicationskills are vital in today's workplace. Whether you need to keep the interest ..
- College writing skills with readings / John Langan.—7th ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-0 LANGAN 1 ..
Book Description - ISBN 978-1-62620-962-6 (45 Pages)
Strong communication skills are arguably the most important attribute a manager can possess. This free eBook explains the basic principles of communication so that you can create an open and honest communications environment in any situation.
Chapter 1 - Effective Communication in the Workplace
The ability to communicate is an essential life skill and one that can be continually developed. Individuals who are good communicators find it easy to develop empathy and trust with others. These people adapt their style of communication to suit the audience and situation they are presented with.
Chapter 2 - Workplace Communication Styles
Each person's communication style is a unique combination of their own innate skills and those learned both formally and through experience. What makes some people better than others at communicating is their ability to adapt their style to suit the message, environment, and exchange.
Chapter 3 - Recognizing Workplace Communication Styles
Whilst individuals may favor a particular way of communicating, they can alter their behavior to other communication styles if necessary to suit a particular situation. This flexibility helps them to come across as knowledgeable, confident, and empathetic.
Chapter 4 - Perceptual Preferences
People may be naturally visual, auditory, or kinesthetic communicators. Using a supplementary form of communication can help your message to be correctly interpreted.
Chapter 5 - Attitudes to Communications
Effective communication depends on your ability to read the attitude of the other person or group. This is something that can be picked up from the behavior you see and will reflect their emotions and feelings towards the communication.
Chapter 6 - Communication Research
There is a whole industry built on helping you to become a better communicator. Unfortunately, some of what is written about this topic is rather misleading.
Chapter 7 - Using the RESULT Principle
The RESULT principle can help you to improve your communication skills. The acronym stands for Reason, Environment, Specific, Understanding, Listen, and Timeframe.
Chapter 8 - Barriers to Communication
Problems with communication occur when the way in which we express ourselves is not fully understood and appreciated by those we want to communicate with. Some of these differences are within our control, others are not, and being forewarned about such obstacles influences how successful your communications will be.
You will learn how to: |
|
I can highly recommend this book
It pretty much goes without saying that communication is one of the most important skills to have in business - or in life in general. This book on Effective Communications caught my eye because I am always excited to improve my professional performance. I think it is important to get better each and every day, so reading this short book provided me with an opportunity to improve my understanding of basic communications techniques and elements. In the end, I came away pleased with having spent some time reading this book. While not all of the information was new to me, it was well-presented and did offer me some points to take away and think about.
Surprisingly, one of the most memorable elements of the book comes right away in the introduction. The book makes a point of defining successful communication as when everyone involved comes away understanding the same thing. That is a simple definition, and one that I had not thought about before. When you have a clear understanding of the goal (i.e. making sure everyone understands the same thing), the process of communication suddenly seems a little simpler.
The 'Communications Styles' section was another that I enjoyed, because I find value in thinking critically about what I do and how it can be improved. I was able to see myself in some of the examples that are offered, and came away with a better understanding of my general communication style. Just being self-aware in that way is a big step in the right direction toward more effective and efficient communication.
In the same vein, the 'Attitudes to Communications' section was an eye-opener in terms of how different attitudes and personalities can affect how communication works. Not only was I able to perceive myself in these different attitudes, but also those around me. With an understanding of different attitudes and what they mean, I feel better prepared to deal with a range of different people and still communicate effectively with each of them.
The only section of this book that I wasn't very interested in was the section called 'Communication Research'. I'm sure the content contained within can be valuable to some, but I found myself drifting while reading this section and not drawing much constructive from it. I would recommend still reading this section for yourself as the content might be more relevant for you than it was for me.
'Communication Barriers' toward the end of the book was a section that I found interesting to read and informative at the same time. Each of the five barriers to communication that are addressed I found relevant to my experience in some way. The discussion of each of these points and the examples provided helped me gain an understanding for how to potentially sidestep some of these problems down the road.
Overall, I can highly recommend this book on effective communication as a building block for your professional skill set. In fact, I feel like the points within this book will even help me communicate more effectively in my personal life as well. Communicating more effectively is something that everyone can benefit from, and this book will only take a short amount of your time to read.
Ollie Lorrimer
Worth reading even if you are already a confident communicator
For the longest time I have equated communicating with being able to speak with people in both personal and professional settings. I have been blessed with the gift of gab and as such, fancied myself as quite the communicator. After a recent promotion at work, I have been encouraged to work on my professional communication skills and as part of the process I have read this guide to effective communications. Upon doing so, I have realized there is a distinct difference between being a good speaker and being a good communicator.
One of the first thinks that caught my attention in this book was the importance of listening. I am certain that is where many people fail as communicators and I hope to avoid that pitfall myself, so if you take nothing else from this book, learn to be an active and honest listener. Aside from listen I found this guide to provide good insight into the styles of communicating and how to determine which one is best for you. The primary methods of communicating discussed in the book are active, logical, connector, thinker, and combiner. The book does a good job of clearly and simply defining each of these methods in an easy to follow chart and if nothing else, you should look over that section.
In addition to the methods of communicating, you will also learn about the attitudes of communication which are passive, passive aggressive, aggressive, and assertive, each of which has its pros and cons. Mehrabian's rule of the '3 v's' is another unique topic covered and contrary to mainstream belief in shows that non-verbal cues are not more important that spoken words. This theory has apparently been misquoted numerous times leading to the confusion. If for no other reason, I would suggest reading the book to learn the truth about Mehrabian's theory, one that has held true for over 40 years now.
Another area of particular interest for me was the section outlining the importance of Para-verbal signals which include things such as tone, speed, and emphasis. When you correctly Para-verbal signals can change the complete meaning of a statement and leave a meaningful impact on the listener. Written Para-verbal signals of the other hand include things like punctuation, layout, and grammar. Each of those items can also completely change the meaning of a sentence and should not be overlooked.
Lastly, I found the RESULT communication principle to be particularly interesting. RESULT is an acronym for reason, environment, specific, understanding, listen, and time frame. Reason is of course the purpose for your communication. Environment takes into account the specifics of whom and where you will communicate. Specific is the reason for your communications; what do you want to achieve?
Understanding as you can imagine is arguably the most important part and is where you must ensure the listener understands what you need from them. A common theme among communication, the listen portion refers to you being an active listener and the time frame is making reference to how long you have to make the needed communication. Overall, I found the RESULT principle to be simple and effective, certainly one of the best parts of this book for me. The final section of this book looks at some common barriers to communication and the best ways to identify and avoid them. Overall a good read but some sections are redundant, still worth reading in my opinion though.
Sarah Brewer