The Science of Effective Communication: Improve Your Social Skills and Small Talk, Develop Charisma and Learn How to Talk to Anyone

Positive Psychology Coaching Series, Volume 15

By: Ian Tuhovsky

Narrated by: Randy Streu

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover the powerful way to transform your relationships with friends, loved ones, and even coworkers, with proven strategies that you can put to work immediately on improving the way you communicate with anyone in any environment. 

From climbing the career ladder to making new friends, making the most of social situations, and even finding that special someone, communication is the powerful tool at your disposal to help you achieve the success you truly deserve. 

In The Science of Effective Communication, you'll learn how to develop and polish that tool so that no matter who you are, where you go, or what you do, you'll make an impact on everyone you meet for all the right reasons. 

Discover the Secrets Used by the World's Most Effective Communicators

We all know that one person who positively lights up any room they walk into, who seem to get on with everyone they meet, and who lead a blessed life as a result. Yet here's something you may not know: Those people aren't blessed with a skill that is off-limits to the rest of us. You too can learn the very same techniques used by everyone from Tony Robbins to Evan Carmichael to that one guy in your office who everyone loves, and put them to work in getting what you want - without bulldozing over everyone in your path. 

Bursting with actionable steps you can use IMMEDIATELY to transform the way you communicate, this compelling, highly effective book serves as your comprehensive guide to better communication.

©2018 Ian Tuhovsky (P)2018 Ian Tuhovsky

Great book with concrete suggestions

Great book with concrete suggestions (an audio review)

I have a degree in English and a speech communications minor, so I wasn’t sure I had much to learn in the bastion of communications. I thought it was all pretty straightforward.

I’m happy to say, I learned a lot while listening to this audiobook. I took tons of notes, and so will pick and choose the sections I think were most valuable. Overall, though, this is well worth your time to listen to. Everyone can come out with something from this book.

The section on how to deal with people who are hard of hearing and deaf was wonderful. As an aware person, I always want to be inclusive. Now I have practical tips on how to converse with people with hearing issues. I especially liked the idea of a talking stick in a large group of people. It is a way of showing the person who is hard of hearing who is speaking, but it is also a visual reminder to others that speaking over each other is unhelpful. In fact, I think there are many times when a talking stick would be helpful in other interactions.

Preparing for a job interview may seem straightforward, but this book offers concrete advice on how to answer the five most common questions. If I had known some of these things, I am sure I would have been more successful in previous interviews.

The author makes suggestion on how to speak clearly, discussing intonation, enunciation, and breathing through your diaphragm. All of these are things I learned in my vocal class and are very helpful. He also discusses a ‘digital detox’, acknowledging that people say things online that they would never say to a person’s face. Being aware of our ability to hurt people with words is a good reminder that not all communication is clearly understood. He also makes suggestions on how to deal with rejection. He encourages the person who has been hurt to fight the urge to strike back.

The concept of empathy is addressed and I have experienced the power of being known as someone who is empathetic through my interactions with others. People feel comfortable opening up to me and it has made me better able to put myself into other peoples’ shoes. This book offers suggestions on how to approach someone who is hurting, to let them know you’re open to listening without pressure or judgement. Also, the author reminds us to fight the urge to solve their problems, instead let them know they are believed and valued for their honesty. In the days of the #MeToo movement, these skills are more valuable than ever. That being said, when someone is opening up and sharing painful issues, it is not the time for you to share your story. Find someone else if you are triggered, otherwise, the person trusting you may think you’re insensitive.

In discussing gossip, the author says to ask yourself questions such as “why am I feeling the need to pass this on, what are my motives, and do I even know if this information is true?” These are all questions I will consider the next time I’m going to pass along information.

Apologies, long-distance relationships, conflict, and how to give compliments are all addressed in detail. I could go on and on about all the great advice, but I truly urge you to listen for yourself. There is something in this book for everyone. I know I am going to hold onto my notes and review them at different times when I am having communication difficulties or when I am heading into a challenging situation. I’m so glad I listened to this book.

My only issue is that the author threw in that people who are good communicators are getting the “most attractive partners” and that this book will help you get “better romantic relationships”. That almost caused me to stop listening. As you can tell by the review, I’m glad I didn’t. Is the advice in this book helpful? Of course. Is this the best place to find advice on romantic relationships? Not really. Becoming more confident and improving your communication skills are important and should be the goals unto themselves. If you are a better communicator, you could possibly open yourself up to meeting many different people and that is another laudable goal. The “more attractive partners” line cheapens the power of the self-improvement suggestions.

I have to discuss Randy Streu. He was perfect for this book and he owned it. I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn’t the author because he was so beautifully authentic.

This is a great book with practical and useful suggestions that everyone can learn from.

I sucked at small talk before this!

I always felt like a good communicator, although recently I felt like I faltered at small-talk and feared difficult meetings. This really helped to raise my level of confidence with practical advice and once again feel like I can talk to anyone. Thank you Ian. Great job with this one!

Nothing new here

Very basic simple common sense stuff. Nothing really new here. It could be helpful for someone with social anxiety or severe communication deficits.

Excellent!

Great suggestions! I feel more confident walking into a situation when I don’t know anyone. FORD! Thank you!

Not That Helpful

A lot of the content is common sense and just tips. Some tips were helpful but the majority of the read was just filler.

Good advice, but not for mature audiences

First, the guidance is good, but very basic. I had hoped for more advanced techniques.
Second, while the narrator had a strong and commanding voice, he didn’t allow any pause for sentence and paragraph breaks. Would have enjoyed it a bit more with some feeling instead of robotic reading.

Career and Social Growth

This book is great if your goal is career and social growth. I enjoyed it.

Wish I’d read it when I was younger

I struggled with small talk and being an introvert when I was younger and only recently started to feel comfortable. This book gives very practical advice in a variety of situations. Love the FORD model. I’m going to recommend it for my kids and nieces and nephews - all in their 20s.

A little basic...

This book is a bit more basic than I would have liked. It would be great for a young person or someone early in their career. But there are very few advanced communication techniques or ideas. Due to the subtitle, I was hoping for specific examples and techniques for improving my small talk, since it is sometimes do not care for. If this is what you are seeking then this is not the right book.

Alot of eye opening information

This book has somthing for everybody and is definitly worth cheacking out. It will become increasingly important as electronic comunication diminishes our face to face comunication skills.

Fantastic book

Very well presented.
Very clear audio and coherent contents.
Very well structured.
I loved it

Exactly what i needed!

Great audio book to help with social skills, easy to understand and put into practise

Great Stuff

Great straightforward advice is given that I easily understand. I would like to read more books produced by this author.

Easy to understand

Loved it!

Very engaging and concise. Backed up with evidence so the listener can use as reference points for when explaining to others. Well presented.

I really liked your book.

I love the way you help me visualize your ways of instruction!
but because my forgain language, which is dutch. I had some ear scratching sometimes.

overall a good second audiobook in English for me!

Absolute gold

Quality advice and information is constantly flowing in the book! Real practical advice you can make use of immediately, if you want to improve your social skills in every area of your life this is a must listen to!

Worth the money

helpful, and precise, worth the money from my side of view. will help with the future.

Helpful

Good tips for conversation, especially regarding the FORD method. Will be useful in everyday life.

Really not useful

Unfortunately this book does not give any tools or techniques to initiate or improve small talk or conversation. Nothing about confidence. There is a lot of advice on why certain things should be avoided or when to seek professional help but nothing actionable. Fairly misleading title and misleading ratings.

highly recommended this book!!

easy to follow and hard to put down (or stop listening)
useful for anyone and everyone regardless of social status, place in the working hierarchy and level of confidence.