Communication is one of the most important skills that we can develop. We use communication skills in every interaction that we have with other people in our lives.
Whether you are communicating with people in your personal life, academic life, or professional life, it is important that you know how to effectively get your point across to other people.
With that being said, it isn’t always easy to know how to best communicate with other people to get the desired results from a situation. There are many reasons why you may struggle to communicate in your daily life as an adult.
However, no matter why or how your communication may be lacking, there are books that can help you improve your communication skills.
If you want to learn how to communicate more effectively with the people around you, read on to find the best books on communication skills.
1. Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated
For those of you who want to get better at communicating at work, you can’t go wrong with Never Eat Alone, the expanded and updated version by Tahl Raz and Keith Ferrazzi.
This book contains all the secrets, hints, and tips you need to excel at communicating in the workplace.
The authors are experts in networking and connecting with other people on a professional level.
The information and knowledge in this book can help you to create strong and useful relationships in your professional life which can help you to reach your goals and full potential more easily.
The best thing about this book is that the tips are laid out in easy steps that are digestible and actionable.
Pros
- Written by experienced networkers
- Easy to read format
- Easy hints to action in the workplace
Cons
- There are lots of anecdotes in the book that can make it feel like an autobiography
2. On Becoming Fearless…in Love, Work, and Life
For an all-rounder book to help you improve your communication skills in all aspects of your life, you need On Becoming Fearless…In Love, Work, And Life by Arianna Huffington.
This book is geared toward a female audience, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be useful for people of any gender.
This book focuses on the ways that fear can affect women in their daily lives and how that can be a huge barrier to effective communication in all aspects of life.
Having noticed her teenage daughters developing the same fears as she felt, Huffington decided to confront the subject of fear and write a book that she hoped would help her daughters and other women.
The book discusses how you can effectively communicate with people in your professional and personal life to help overcome fears and improve your daily life.
Pros
- The book confronts the fears that can block communication
- Extremely insightful and helpful content
- Great knowledge of how women function
Cons
- The chapter on God and death can throw a lot of readers off
3. How To Win Friends & Influence People
If you have ever looked at self-help books before, you will have heard of How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This is one of the most popular self-help books that has ever been published, and there is a good reason for that.
This book has all the knowledge you need to overcome the communication barriers in your life and get all the success you need.
It is very difficult to go wrong with a book that has stood the test of time with people who need help around the world.
The knowledge and advice in this book can help you communicate what you want or need in almost any situation. This can help to boost your confidence and reach your goals.
Pros
- A classic self-help book that has stood the test of time
- Helpful tips for communicating in different situations
- Clear and concise layout for easy reading
Cons
- The old English quotes feel a little dated
4. Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear
One of the most important parts of communication is being aware of how your actions or words are being perceived by the other person.
This can be a major barrier that many people struggle with when it comes to communicating with the people around them.
Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear is the perfect book to help you overcome this.
This book has been written to help you understand how your words can be perceived by those around you.
Once you have the ability to understand how people are receiving your message, you can identify where you are going wrong and make tangible changes to improve your communication skills in all aspects of your life.
Pros
- Focuses on a specific aspect of communication
- Helps you identify flaws in your communication style
- Gives you tools you need to improve your communication
Cons
- Focuses on a niche area rather than communication as a whole
5. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
If you are into the more spiritual aspect of being able to communicate and connect with the people around you, The Power of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment is for you.
This is the ideal book to help you create closer, more genuine connections with the people in your professional and personal life.
The content of this book focuses on a very broad aspect of communication which allows you to improve how you communicate as a whole rather than in a specific way.
This is ideal for people who are unsure of their communication style or who want to improve their communication in a more general way.
The premise of this book is that you need to be present in the moment in order to communicate and be communicated with effectively.
Pros
- Focuses on a broad aspect of communication
- The book suggests easy ways to instantly improve your communication
- Written in an easy to read style
Cons
- The spiritual aspect can be off putting for many people
6. The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts
If your focus is on the communication you have between you and a romantic partner, there is no better book than The Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts is the only book you need.
If you have spent any time on social media, you will likely have heard of love languages before.
If you have heard the term “love languages” but are unsure what they are or how they can help the communication in your relationship, this book can help you.
This book explains the five main love languages that you and your partner may have. Understanding these styles of showing and receiving love is a really effective way of opening up the communication in your relationship and making your bond stronger.
One of the main aspects of communication is understanding the other person and this book can help you develop that skill.
Pros
- Explains a key aspect of communication within romantic relationships
- Focusing on a single type of relationship allows more detailed information
- Formatted so it is easy to read
Cons
- Only useful for romantic and personal relationships not professional ones
7. Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
Communicating with people around you isn’t always about getting your message across. A significant amount of communication actually pertains to discussing your wants and needs with people in your life.
Setting and maintaining boundaries are some of the hardest parts of communication for many people.
In fact, being unable to successfully communicate your boundaries with people can lead to issues with your stress levels and even your self esteem.
Thankfully, Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How To Say No To Take Control Of Your Life can help you learn how to effectively communicate and uphold your boundaries.
The lessons in this book can refer to both professional and personal relationships. Being able to politely but firmly say no to things can have a significant positive impact on your communication skills.
Pros
- Focuses on an area of communication that many people struggle with
- Provides helpful tips for people who want to set firmer boundaries
- Works for professional and personal relationships
Cons
- Even with the information in this book, boundaries can be difficult to set without confidence
8. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft
Not all communication is verbal. There are many people who can communicate verbally just fine, however, they struggle when it comes to written communication.
One of the things that makes written communication so difficult for some people is the complete lack of tone to perceive.
This can make conveying what you mean much more difficult, especially for people who use tone and inflection a lot in their speech.
In the book On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft author Steven King divulges his impressive knowledge of communicating what you mean through the written word.
King has a lot of experience conveying emotion and imagery through writing and his tips and tricks can help you communicate through writing much more effectively.
This can be incredibly useful if you have to communicate via email or messenger in your professional life.
Pros
- Written by a world renowned expert in the field of written communication
- Focuses on written communication which is an important aspect
- Well structured to be easily digested by the reader
Cons
- Some people may be put off by a fiction author writing a non-fiction book
Buyer’s Guide
Buying any kind of self-help book is quite a personal experience. After all, you are the only one who knows what it is you are struggling with.
However, when it comes to buying a book on communication skills, there are a few general things you should consider before making a purchase.
What Do You Need To Communicate?
One of the most important things you need to consider when looking for a self-help communication book is what needs to be communicated.
Depending on what you are trying to communicate, the style in which you communicate or the issues with your communication may change.
It is also important to consider that the information you want to communicate is often dependent on who you are communicating with.
The person you are communicating with will determine whether you are communicating personal or professional information.
Because of this, the type of self-help book you purchase should focus on the type of information that you are trying to convey.
A great example of this is purchasing a book that focuses on setting boundaries effectively if you want to better communicate your boundaries with other people.
How Do You Want To Communicate?
One of the most important things to consider when purchasing a book to help you improve your communication skills is the way in which you want to communicate.
This means that there is no point in purchasing a book on verbal communication when you are looking to improve your written communication skills and vice versa.
If you want to improve your communication skills in a broader, more general sense, there are plenty of self-help books on communication available that focus on communication as a broad subject.
These can be very helpful but do feature a lower level of detail than more niche books.
How Do You Take In Information Best?
Another thing that should be considered when looking for a book to improve your communication is the way in which you take in information best. This is something that is often overlooked when people purchase self-help books.
There are many different ways in which these kinds of books are written. Some books on communication feature a lot of text that is very factual. There are other text-heavy books that rely more on anecdotal stories to get the information across.
There are also some self-help books that rely a lot more on imagery, charts, and graphs. These are best for visual learners who prefer to see things rather than read things when they are trying to take in information.
If you are unsure of how you take in and retain information best, it can be difficult to know what kind of book format will be most beneficial for you.
In this case, the best advice is to purchase multiple books in different writing and presentation styles to find one that works best for you.
However, this can be quite expensive so it is often worth paying a visit to your local library to get a taste for the books that work for you and your brain.
Final Thoughts
There are so many different books available on the market that can help you improve your communication skills.
Whether you are looking to improve your method of communication in a general sense or if you want to develop and home specific communication skills, there is something out there for you.
Because there are so many books on communication skills available, you will be able to find a book for your specific needs that is written in a style that suits your learning style perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Self-Help Books Really Work?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to looking for self-help books. The reason it is so commonly asked is because it is a very valid question.
It is very common for people to question the validity of self-help books. This is often because reading a book to solve your problems just seems a little bit too easy.
With that being said, there is more to self-help books than simply giving you the answers to your problems. In fact, there often aren’t any straightforward answers to the issues you are facing.
Instead, these books are designed to help you gain a better understanding of the problems in your life. They also equip you with the basic tools you need to begin making meaningful change in your life and fixing the issues you are struggling with.
Because self-help books only give you the tools you need to help you help yourself, they won’t work for everybody.
When you have access to the information in these books, you are supposed to actively apply the lessons and tools to your daily life to get the benefit of the knowledge.
This means that you need to put in the work yourself, otherwise self-help books won’t work for you. When you do put in the work, there is no end to what you can achieve with these kinds of books.