Supercommunicators
How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
From the global bestselling author of The Power of Habit
'This is not just a riveting read about how to understand others better. It’s also a revealing look at how to be understood.' -ADAM GRANT #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential
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Who and what are supercommunicators? They're the people who can steer a conversation to a successful conclusion. They are able to talk about difficult topics without giving offence. They know how to make others feel at ease and share what they think. They're brilliant facilitators and decision-guiders. How do they do it?
In this groundbreaking new book, Charles Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators to reveal the art – and the science – of successful communication. He unpicks the different types of everyday conversation and pinpoints why some go smoothly while others swiftly fall apart. He reveals the conversational questions and gambits that bring people together. And he shows how even the most tricky of encounters can be turned around. In the process, he shows why a CIA operative was able to win over a reluctant spy, how a member of a jury got his fellow jurors to view an open-and-shut case differently, and what a doctor found they needed to do to engage with a vaccine sceptic.
Above all, he reveals the techniques we can all master to successfully connect with others, however tricky the circumstances. Packed with fascinating case studies and drawing on cutting-edge research, this book will change the way you think about what you say, and how you say it.
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'Charles Duhigg goes through a mountain of research – and some riveting stories – and unearths practical tactics to show that anyone can become a more effective listener, speaker, and even social media poster.' - DAVID EPSTEIN, bestselling author of Range
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pulitzer winner Duhigg (The Power of Habit) contends in this savvy guide that "we can learn to connect in more meaningful ways if we can understand how conversations work." According to Duhigg, so-called supercommunicators more easily build trust, persuade others, and form friendships because they've honed such skills as "matching" (recognizing the kind of conversation they're having, whether it's about making a decisions, conveying emotions, or forming a bond) and "looping" (repeating what one's interlocutor has said in one's own words). Drawing on social experiments, neurological studies, and examples of how CIA agents recruit informants and doctors review treatment options with patients, Duhigg provides wise advice for bonding with friends, fighting with partners, and bridging divides over such lightning-rod issues as gun control. (In moments of conflict, readers should show they're listening—rather than silently preparing a rebuttal—by asking questions, summarizing the other person's views, and asking for confirmation; this helps people feel safe enough to receive someone else's opinions and share their own.) In lucid prose, Duhigg breaks conversation down to its fundamentals, providing both an actionable guide and a revealing peek into the psychological needs and motivations that underpin human interaction. It's a smart, revelatory look at the complex ways in which humans conflict and connect.
