5 Great Books to Improve Your Communication Skills

Human beings have been communicating with each other with the use of language for the last 10,000 years. Without the use of language, humans would not have evolved the way they did. To succeed in today’s modern world, you are expected to be well versed in at least two languages.

I understand that along with verbal communication, non-verbal communication is equally important. In this post, I am sharing a list of best books on communication skills that taught me both verbal and non-verbal skills. They give you a whole new perspective on how to be a self-sufficient and social person.

1. How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes

About the author:

Leil Lowndes is an American author of self-help books on communication skills, business, and relationships. She is one of the best authors in this niche. Her own insufficiencies inspired her to learn the subject of communication skills to an extent that she began to teach others as well. She suffered from “social anxiety disorder” not only in childhood but also during her college days.

About the book:

The name of this book may lead you to think that this book is only about verbal communication skills but it’s much more than that. Leil has touched subjects like body language and personality development too. In fact, she gives more importance to non-verbal communication skills more than any other form of communication skill.

This book is for you if :

You feel awkward and clueless while talking to strangers in parties and event. Meeting people is not a big deal. You can go to any night club and meet a hundred people there. But if you constantly find yourself running out of things to say, you should read and implement the concepts discussed in this book. Leil has helped thousands of people worldwide who were in the same situation as you.

2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

About the author:

Dale Carnegie is one of the pioneers of the self-help industry. His book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is not only the best book on communication skills but has also broken all sales records. \Dale was born in a poor family in a small American town called Maryville in Missouri. On growing up, he moved to Nebraska where he started his sales career. This is where his mind began to drift in areas like communication skills, persuasion, and self-improvement.

About the book:

Dale believes that you can change others behavior by changing our own behavior towards them. In this book, he has given step by step methods, anecdotes, and concepts that you can implement in your own life and finally become the popular and likable person that you always wanted to be. The content of this book is evergreen and timeless. This is what makes it one of the best books on communication skills.

This book is for you if :

This is a fantastic starter book if you want to begin your self-improvement journey today. As a beginner to the self-help world, you would be needing a book that explains the concepts and techniques with the help of real-life examples. This book is also ideal for people who work in sales and marketing. The first half of this book is about basic communication skills and how to get people to like you and the second part is more about leadership.

3. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets by Carmine Gallo

About the author:

Carmine Gallo is an American author and a key-note speaker based in California. Gallo gained popularity from his book “Talk like TED” which led to him getting featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Success Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek and on CNBC. He has written many other books on communication skills but this book stood out from the rest and made him popular in the entire world.

About the book:

Carmine Gallo explains the 9 public speaking secrets with the help of a host of TED talks. The great thing about TED talks is that you can head to YouTube and watch them anytime you want. He decodes the body language of the TED speakers and points out things that might go unnoticed to an untrained eye. While giving a speech, Carmine believes in communicating with passion and emotion. He has also given plenty of examples of how sharing stories in your speeches can have a hypnotic effect on your audience.

This book is for you if :

This book is for you if you own a business or work in a leadership position and are required to give speeches. This book also provides valuable insights for students who are preparing for a presentation in their college. The public-speaking secrets explained in this book are more beneficial for mass communication and not for one on one conversations.

4. Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

About the author:

Kerry Patterson is an American self-help writer. Kerry Patterson has written New York Times bestselling business books like Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, and Influencer. Currently, he is helping entrepreneurs and businessmen by teaching them advanced communication skills. He is a founder of VitalSmarts. At VitalSmarts, Kerry and his team conduct boot camps and seminars on communication skills.

About the book:

This book has turned out to be life-changing even for people who have a successful business or career. Crucial conversations are a part of our life and they cannot be avoided. Most people handle them poorly and if you fall in this category, reading this book is a must for you. This book is about learning how to have these crucial conversations which can shape your future.

This book is for you if:

This book is for you if you run away from social situations that make you uncomfortable. You haven’t yet addressed that fact that you are not articulate enough to lead the conversation when you are the center of attention. This book will provide all the tools and techniques you will need to influence other people.

5.  What Everybody is Saying by Joe Navarro

About the author:

Joe Navarro is a former FBI agent who has shared the secrets he learned while investigating and solving difficult criminal cases. He is an expert in body language and has written this book to help civilians like you and me become better observers.

About the book:

There are nine chapters in this book, each describing every part of the body in detail. Joe Navarro has deciphered what every hand gesture, facial expression, and physical posture is actually signaling. One downside of this book is, it makes people so attuned to reading people that they start seeing how they have been lied to by people in their life. This creates emotional turmoil in them and they end up hating the people they once loved.  

This book is for you if :

This book is for you if you are oblivious to what people around you are thinking and feeling. Most people are already good with reading people just by observing how they move and talk. But most of us are not fortunate enough to have had opportunities where we were needed to do so. For instance, a retail salesperson has to read the body language of people who walk into the store.  

Closing thoughts

Communication skill is an interesting topic even for people who are naturally good with it. These are the best books on communication skill that I have come across. Moreover, they are also quite basic and approachable at the same time. So, understanding and implementing the concepts discussed in them won’t be too difficult for you.