Best Books on Communication

You’d probably agree with me when I say that humans are social creatures. We crave being around other humans and have evolved into the beings we are today because of our power to communicate.

Now, what is communication? Put simply, communication comes in three forms: using words, attitude, and body language.

The first form covers verbal communication, writing, and telling stories. These are methods some of our loved ones used to tell us stories when we were growing up. Storytelling is beautiful, and it’s one of the driving forces in life for many people. Stories take us through a whirlwind of emotions and, in most cases, give us hope moving forward.

When it comes to social skills, there is perhaps nothing more important than knowing how to communicate with others effectively.

Communicating is something we continuously do, whether or not we know it. By just standing there and not doing anything, we’re already sending a message to the person looking at us. I express myself to other people differently, and so do you.

As humans, communication is ingrained into our very core. It’s something that some of us have already taken to its highest point and exhausted all potentials. While some people may think they’ve reached this level in the spoken and written language, I think there’s always going to be room for growth and improvement. It is for this reason that I’ve compiled a list of essential reads on communication.

Human beings love new things. We love to create and experiment, which is why we’re always going to find new ways to communicate.

How wonderful would it be to constantly be aware of these new methods and apply them in your daily life? If you ask me, one of the ways you can win at life is to keep your communication skills up to date. And for that, you should definitely check out my roundup of the best books on communication.

Nonviolent Communication

Upon becoming CEO, Nadella confronted Microsoft’s legendarily combative culture by urging his new reports to read this book, which preaches the power of empathy, self-awareness, and authenticity in collaboration in the workplace, at home, and beyond. Like many of his favorites, it was first recommended to him by his wife, Anu: “I’m heavily influenced by the books she reads more than the books I read

Satya Nadella

CEO/Microsoft

Speaking Peace: Connecting with Others Through Nonviolent Communication

I recommend any book written by Marshall B. Rosenberg - my personal and professional relationships changed for the better after finding his work.

Bogdan Lucaciu

CTO/Adore Me

Words That Change Minds: The 14 Patterns for Mastering the Language of Influence

The shift in power to the customer is now a certainty. In her engaging book, Shelle lays out precisely what's going on and how to think about it.

Seth Godin

Entrepreneur, author, marketer

How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships

In my career I spend a great chunk of time dealing with clients and people in general. Our environment today is different from what it was before, we spend a lot of time communicating via electronics that we actually lost some great deal of knowledge in human communication, things that we don’t really learn at school (we actually should), but which I believe are essential to communicating with our peers. Leil did a great job in that book to explain simply those tricks of communication, some of which I am sure lots of people will think trivial and already do, but many that we probably don’t realize we can use.

Nicolas Jouvenceau

CEO/Pink Diamonds Boutique

The Leadership Solution

The Leadership Solution by Jim Shaffer does a terrific job outlining the importance of leadership communication in organizations of all types and sizes, with common-sense steps to help any communicator bring it to life.

Michael Voss

Co-author/B.S. Incorporated

Pitch Perfect: How to Say It Right the First Time, Every Time

With Bill McGowan's book in front of you, your days of thinking 'I wish I had said that' will be behind you. His peerless advice offers readers a real chance to be heard and to succeed.

Sheryl Sandberg

COO/Facebook

Grid Systems in Graphic Design: A Visual Communication Manual for Graphic Designers, Typographers and Three Dimensional Designers

Question: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path?

Answer:

• “Just My Type” by Simon Garfield
• “Thinking with Type” by Ellen Lupton
• “Don't Make Me Think” by Steve Krug
• “Geometry of Design” by Kimberly Elam
• “Grid Systems in Graphic Design” by Josef Müller-Brockmann
• “ReWork” by Jason Fried

These titles should be a good start, I think.

Marius Ciuchete Paun

Web designer

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

The alternate click-bait title of Ann’s great new book could have been 73 Ways to Improve Your Writing and Conquer the World! …and it would have been an understatement. We’re all publishers now, and the better writers connect, persuade, and win. Be one of them with this book.

Brian Clark

Founder & CEO/Copyblogger Media

The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics

To successfully earn trust in face-to-face or Facebook communication, embrace the proven concepts in The Language of Trust-they're as important to your life as involuntary breathing. It's just common sense.

Thomas L. Harrison

CEO/Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group Inc.

The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

This one really stuck with me--a top level analysis of how changes in media change the culture and change the structure of industry.

Seth Godin

The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving

The Minto Pyramid Principle: For would-be consultants, a (very dry) book on how to write effectively for business.

Patricia Reed

Technology Growth Leader & Mentor

Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results

Robert Hajnal recommended this book for growing a business.

Robert Hajnal

Founder/Trail Running Academy

The New One Minute Manager

The human world occurs in language so best get good at it!

Bill Liao

General Partner/RebelBio, SOSV.com

The Four-Dimensional Human: Ways of Being in the Digital World

Scott’s book [...] is a complicated and interesting work of literary techno-social criticism — which came close to winning the Samuel Johnson Prize two years ago — that I found thought provoking throughout. These are just the number of pages that happened to be relevant to what I’m working on at the moment.

Cal Newport

Author

Touchpoints – Birth to Three

For new parents, I love the Positive Discipline series by Jane Nelsen (empowering for kids and parents) and the Touchpoints series by T. Berry Brazelton (you really can’t guide your children if you don’t understand what’s happening developmentally)

Brene Brown

Author & Researcher

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