Message Received: 7 Steps to Break Down Communication Barriers at Work

The action plan you need to ensure everyone’s understood—digitally and across generations


According to social scientist and award-winning CEO Dr. Mary Donohue, we communicate ineffectively at work a staggering 80% of the time! From the tone of an email to the almost-but-not-quite eye contact of a video conference app, today’s tech has increased the speed and scope of our communications—as well as the opportunities to misunderstand each other completely. This lack of effective communication is a leading cause of workplace stress.


In this widely anticipated and deeply researched book, Dr. Donohue, a victim of workplace stress herself, lays out a seven-step solution to give you the tools you need to make communication a cure for workplace stress, not a cause—even (especially) when you’re working with a generationally diverse team. Discover what’s at the root of the problem—from misunderstood emails and misinterpreted texts to misconstrued social media posts and missed social cues on Zoom—and learn how to respond to different communication preferences now.


Through helpful charts, case studies, evidence-backed research, and more, you’ll walk away with the tools you need to ensure everyone on your team—yourself included—is heard and understood, so there’s less time clarifying and more time for everyone to be their best, most productive selves.