Best Books for Communication Skills

Communication skills are more important than ever.

Especially in a world where everyone is glued to their phone.

Sticking out is easier than ever.

If you are someone who can have a basic conversation without making it awkward, then you already stick out.

But on this page, we aren’t looking to be average.

We are looking to EXCEL.

Communication skills come down to execution.

Which is why I am often not a big fan of recommending too many books.

Don’t want you to overthink.

However, it never hurts to learn the fundamentals.

In this blog, I am going to share a few of my best books for communication skills:

• Networking
• Public speaking
• Body Language
• Negotiation
• Emotional Intelligence

These are crucial topics in the world of communication.

Whether you are trying to win a deal, build a friend or establish a business connection.

I am going to include my best books for communication which give you the fundamentals to thrive.

Learn the basics and be sure to implement so you are getting the most out of them!

Networking

Networking is powerful in the social world.

There will be plenty of times when you are out there in a networking event, party or small get together wondering what to do.

Some people see strangers.

Others see social opportunities.

Networking allows you to gradually build a social connection and evolve that into social CONNECTIONS.

If you are moving to a new location, then you understand the importance of networking.

Or, if you are in the business/corporate world, shaking hands with the right people is a mega key.

One of the best individuals to teach you about networking is Keith Ferrazzi in his book Never Eat Alone.

Keith is A professional networking with tons of insights in maintaining big AND small social circles.

He talks about concepts such as leading with value, pinging, hosting dinner parties and much more.

Not going to lie, I’m surprised I never heard of this book more often in the mainstream.

I have heard of the book How to Win Friends and Influence People, which is a classic.

But Never Eat Alone is a classic in its own right.

With tons of practical tips for introverted AND extroverted people, you’ll gain insights that you never thought of.

And these insights can be applied in any setting which holds a warm human body/ies.

Public Speaking

Recommending a book for public speaking is normally tough because there are so many different variables involved.

How can you possibly distill public speaking into a book?

Well, Joe Yazbeck found a way.

In his hit book No Fear Speaking, Joe is able to distill concepts of public speaking such as:

-Managing speech anxiety.

-Creating a speech.

-Owning an attractive personality.

-Influencing the audience to take action and much more.

Some books are drawn out & take too long to get to the point.

But this book by Joe is crisp.

Joe has 2 decades of experience in the international public speaking stage, which is why he brings the fundamental concepts vs. the fluff.

Highly recommended.

Body Language

Words lie, but microexpressions don’t.

I can’t have the best books for communication skills list without mentioning body language.

The hidden words..

Being able to read body language is a KEY skill in the world of communication.

The body expresses humans’ internal feelings & their true selves.

You’ll be able to see when someone is uncomfortable, warming up to you or is flat out lying.

One of my favorite books on this topic is What Every BODY is Saying by Joe Navarro.

Joe Navarro is a former FBI agent with tons of years of experience in reading body language.

The beauty? He teaches you the art of SPEED reading people.

The social world is fast. Good to have a quick cognition rate.

The body is a sensitive topic, so you want to make sure you are learning from an authority.

A proper reading of body language allows you to open up doors that most were blind too.

You’ll learn about topics on how to build trust, learning to read the face & evaluating social value in interactions.

Negotiation

I’m going to keep the momentum going with FBI agents and bring up Chris Voss.

I was introduced to Chris Voss by watching a few of his YouTube videos.

Automatically, I was impressed.

So I decided to check out his book, Never Split the Difference.

Not going to lie, my mind was blown.

I never knew how much of my daily life consisted of negotiation until I saw Chris put it into words.

Everything from asking for a raise, asking for a favor, trying to get a deal on the latest sports car is a form of negotiation.

Chris drops practical tips on human nature, leveraging the power of no, and understanding of black swans to move smoothly at the negotiation table.

One beauty of the book is that Chris is a fantastic storyteller.

He gives you vivid pictures of real-life scenarios before talking about the lessons learned.

This is a man who used to negotiate with terrorists.

So I’ll trust him.

Emotional Intelligence

The topic of emotional intelligence may seem a little out of place for this post.

But not so fast…

Social intelligence is actually a derivative of emotional intelligence.

Your external world is a representation of your internal world.

It doesn’t matter how many tricks and tactics you use…

If you are whacky internally, then a lot of your interactions will suffer.

For example, getting angry in a debate can hurt your reputation.

This is why Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman is a must read.

In this book, you learn about emotional literacy, how to regulate emotions & how to read the emotions of others.

Mega superpower.

Earlier, I was talking about the importance of reading body language.

But the art of empathy is something we underestimate.

It plays a big role in social interactions.

So do not undermine emotional intelligence.

It can be your secret weapon for charisma.

Leveling Up Your Communication Skills

Now that you have a list of my recommendations on the best books for communication skills, remember…

Don’t get stuck reading!

I purposefully didn’t flood this blog with too many books so you don’t get swamped with books on books.

A lot of the recommendations are of books that you can study & apply.

Whether it’s a negotiation, reading body language, public speaking etc.

Communication skills play a major role in this world.

As the internet age has risen, unfortunately, a lot of social skills has plummetted.

Don’t be like the herd though.

Find ways to leverage your charisma in these dark times.

Read books. Apply books. Win.

For more practical communication insights, subscribe to my free daily newsletter.

– ArmaniTalks 🎙️🔥