10 Books to Help Improve Communication Skills
I used ChatGPT to start this list. I mostly agree with it, and I added my own comments to some of them, particularly noting the ones I already have or have read.
1. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
This book teaches how to handle difficult conversations effectively and stay in control of strong emotions.
2. Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion by George J. Thompson
This book shows how to defuse confrontations and achieve your goals through effective communication.
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This classic book offers timeless advice on how to build relationships, influence others, and communicate effectively. I read this one long ago, own two or three copies, and re-read it every so often. Deserves the label "classic."
4. The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism by Olivia Fox Cabane
This book offers practical strategies for developing and projecting charisma in your communications. I have not read this one yet, but it is on my list to acquire.
5. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
This book examines the psychology behind why people say yes and how to apply these principles to your own communications. I have read this one more than once. I find it to be one of the most useful communication books ever written.
6. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg
This book teaches how to communicate in a way that promotes compassion, understanding, and connection.
7. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
This book explains how to create messages that are memorable, persuasive, and effective. I own this one, but haven't read it in awhile. So it's back on my list.
8. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo
This book shares the techniques of successful TED speakers and how to apply them to your own presentations and speeches. I own this one, and have read it in the last couple of years, but I think I need to go back and read it again.
9. The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman
This book explores the concept of love languages and how to communicate love effectively in relationships. I read this one years ago, and I thought I owned it, but I can't find it. I probably have it in hard copy, and my books are scattered all over. I am in the processing of acquiring an ebook copy of this one.
10. The Art of Communication by Thich Nhat Hanh
This book offers guidance on how to communicate with compassion, understanding, and mindfulness. I'm reading this one right now, and I find it to be a great combination of factors that improve communication skills solidly based in principles of dharma.
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