This is a fantastic book that everyone needs to read. Particularly in the divisive and judgemental world that we are currently living in, the ability to communicate is more important than ever. This book not only gives information that is easy to understand and assimilate, the examples and case studies cited are fascinating and relevant to our lives today. I sped through every chapter, and look forward to being able to use this information in my own life. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advance digital copy!

*thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

This is one of the most fascinating books on communication I’ve ever read. And Charles Duhigg wrote it out of curiosity? That’s my kind of book.

To put it plainly, all of us could use a lesson in how to avoid communication breakdowns, and it starts with how we think about and approach our own patterns of communication. This book unites problem-solving research with colorful anecdotes and relevant examples. Duhigg wastes no time in getting right to the heart of what works and what doesn’t. And I won’t lie—I was super challenged by some of his findings. Even as a communications professional myself, there is so much room to grow.

If you’re interested in improving how you connect with the people around you, and (as the author puts it) unlocking the secret language of communication, don’t wait to read this one. It’s honestly riveting. Give it a go.

(Will share on Instagram @alwreads on release day)

I think the premise of this book and much of the information contained it was very important and helpful. The idea of supercommunicators and the skills and practices that make them was intuitive in a sense, but Duhigg also presented new insights in this regard. I also liked his ideas of the three different types of conversations and how to best communicate in each was different. All that being said, I think for at least 2/3 of this book, I would rate it very highly. However, for the final third or so I felt like the book took on subject matter and delved into areas of communication that have been covered better in other books that I have read. These parts dragged on a bit for me, which is why I ultimately did not rate this book higher. Still, there is great information and new insights here that I think make this a solid read.

4.5 — Not sure if I picked this book up to assess my level of communication, learn tips for improvement, better understand communication discourse, or enjoy the appealing cover art. Perhaps it was a little of all which Duhigg made me realize as I made my way through this instructive & insightful look into how humans connect through transformational communication.

Written in an easily accessible tone & chock-full of anecdotes from various walks of life, this exploration into communication & connection contains many nuggets of wisdom. I’m an educational technology professional working in a school system that has been doing lots of thinking around the concept of hospitality. This book provides much of the “how might this work” practicality that I crave when reading about abstract ideas while remaining rooted in a clear exploration into why “this” — namely love & an innate desire for authentic connection — matters. I also appreciate its nod to online communication & nuance within the framework in this medium. I can’t help but wonder how this book might be the same or different in a few decades after generative AI becomes more embedded in common human experience.

Ultimately I enjoyed it with the exception of the hard conversations/Netflix chapter (hence the 4.5 ⭐️). Although there is mention of stopping hard conversations that re-traumatize individuals, I don’t know that this point was emphasized enough. There was more talk about working through discomfort & the reward being greater than the risk (based on the Sanchez experiment, at least). However, I felt this was minimizing the impact racism, sexism, & other forms of discrimination have on an individuals which places one party at much greater risk during said conversations which can lead to significantly consequential actions (including potential physical, emotional, & psychological harm). At risk of going against a major premise outlined in this book (i.e. the importance of not trying to control others’ goals in communication through one’s clouded perspective), I could see a potential misinterpretation from readers regarding a desire to push vulnerability & perseverance of discomfort upon certain members of identity groups in the name of “trying to be a supercommunicator.”

Never mind that even the framework of three conversations may or may not favor a certain cultural interpretation of what it means to negotiate. There was also little-to-no mention of the influence of a performative culture on these difficult exchanges which in application have a significant power to derail, distract, or even defile such communication. I applaud Duhigg for approaching “Who are we” conversations with optimism & an attempt at measured objectivity, but I believe it is a disservice to suggest to readers that we are all approaching hard conversations with equal positions of control & autonomy over even establishing guidelines/what it means to be safe.

Despite those concerns, I do highly recommend it — and not just because I really like the cover design. If you are a fan of Adam Grant’s Think Again or Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, I think you’ll appreciate this one as advancing an important glimpse into human behavior & our own self-actualization.

Grateful to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC.

This book was so interesting! One of the best non-fiction books I've read in a while. It was full of great information and stories that could actually be used everyday. I just loved it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.

This was my first Charles Duhigg book, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised given my history with these sorts of "how to" books. Duhigg is expert at dissecting complex topics and distilling them into actionable insights, seamlessly blending engaging anecdotes with well-researched principles. From dissecting successful public speakers to decoding the strategies of influential leaders. Duhigg draws on a wide array of examples, making the content relatable and applicable to diverse audiences. It is easily readable, entertaining, and approachable. Will this book alone dramatically change your communication style and turn you into the supercommunicator you've always dreamed of being? I doubt it, but it certainly can't hurt.

(Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!)

So many people feel disconnected today. Our communication often lacks understanding and feels superficial. Can we improve the way we listen and speak? Charles Duhigg thinks so and provides a how-to guide on being a better communicator. His book will get you thinking about the conversations you have. It did for me! I learned a lot, took many notes, and put some of Duhigg’s advice into practice. Am I a Supercommunicator? Probably not, but I learned some skills that have improved how I listen and speak. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I never really read books that I would consider "self-help", but this title spoke to me, and I grabbed it on NetGalley.

Duhigg's advice on how to connect with others seems pretty straightforward and in some ways, intuitive, but he uses fascinating examples to illuminate the lessons. I like case studies, and Duhigg doesn't boil them down to the point where all you get is a synopsis. These cases really do show the reader the pitfalls of not being more conscious, more thoughtful about how you communicate.

I found the afterward to be the best part of this book. Duhigg shares a story about a longitudinal study that tracked people over a lifetime, and he selects two people's lives to highlight the importance of relationships to happiness. This beautiful afterward reminds us why communication is so critical to our lives and why being more cognizant about how we do it can be life altering.

This isn’t a book about super communicators as much as it’s a book about to understand and connect with one another in the best way possible. Duhigg has studied what makes for effective conversations and, in his usual entertaining way, broken that info into understandable chunks.

I am a social psychology junkie, and I loved every bit of this book. Everyone interested in making better, deeper connections with people should read it.

There is possibly no book we need more than SUPERCOMMUNICATORS by Charles Duhigg. With spare, enjoyable prose and terrific stories, Duhigg shares the means and methods by which the best communicators among us connect, ultimately uniting individuals in sharing a moment, a relationship, and possibly changing the world one conversation at a time. Ridiculously, stratospheric praise? I think not. Having read his well-written book with heart-pounding mind shifts, I have used his suggestions to great effect. What he demonstrates is ultimately a way of making the world a smaller, more joyous place for everyone. The organization was straightforward and logical, the progression of ideas a natural unfolding of a fresh approach to age-old frictions, and the entire book a positive learning experience. It is his finest work yet -- and I loved his prior books. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

As someone who works in communications for a living, the way Duhigg bridges gaps between the different ways in which people can approach conversations and how to ultimately create a conversation that's inclusive (in all meanings of the word) is EXTREMELY useful. Will be recommending this book!

Thank you to Penguin Random House, NetGalley and Charles Duhigg for an advanced ebook copy of Supercommunicators in exchange for my honest review.

I give this 4 stars because it provided a clear and simple framework for approaching conversations (3 kinds = What’s this really about? How do we feel? And Who are we?) and ways to improve. I have read Duhigg’s Power of Habit and Smarter, Faster, Better, and enjoy his conversational style. He provides good stories, from spies to surgeons. He emphasized that communication is a skill we all can improve upon to become more rhetorically sophisticated communicators. And to that end, I appreciated the numerous examples he provides of “typical questions” and then shows us how to transform those into better questions that deepen the conversation and connection with others. Additionally, he focuses in on better listening skills and follow up questions which are central to communication.
I didn't give this book 5 starts because he failed to incorporate/cite decades of excellent research in the COMMUNICATION field. Given the title of this book, I found it odd that he didn't review the top scholars in that field. As someone in the communication discipline, much of what he wrote about was researched and published in the mid-1990s. Yet, his conversational style and flair for storytelling makes this a good read for someone who wants to improve their communication skills.

I imagine the world would be a much better place if everyone was required to read this book. In Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg takes us through chapter after chapter of learning the art of communication in all situations, from romantic relationships to workplace conversations, to the difficult conversations with those we know and with strangers.

I especially loved the chapter about learning to communicate with others that don't share your beliefs in a constructive way where both sides feel heard, rather than devolving into a shouting match or loss of friendships, as we see so often in today's volatile online world.

I took so many notes and have learned many tools on how to have deeper, more meaningful conversations with everyone I come in contact with. This book will definitely be a reread for me.

had to DNF. This read much more like a combination of a self help book and a textbook than an interesting nonfiction. I prefer nonfiction written in an engaging matter, and this simply wasn’t one of them.

I've read some good books on listening but not many on communicating. "Supercommunicators" has given me much to think about for future conversations. For instance, the concept of first establishing what kind of conversation the person or people we speak to want to have through making connections and noticing clues. Duhigg fortifies these concepts with helpful studies and anecdotes. I plan to keep this book on hand for future reference. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an interesting and insightful look at something we spend so much of our time doing, but don’t always do well - communicating. I appreciated that the author narrowed down the key take-aways and then used stories from a variety of areas in order to build understanding. My favourite sections referenced the CIA and The Big Bang Theory, but there were lots of other stories. Some parts read like a text book, but most of this book was pretty engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC.

I think that this book really offered a good look at conversations, different types, miscommunication, communication styles, and more elements of communication in an accessible way that I appreciated! I think that this is one many could benefit from reading.

This book was fantastic!

I learned a lot from this, especially about the different TYPES of conversations. I had no idea that this was a huge part of how miscommunication happens. I tend to me a person who has a more emotional conversation, and my husband is more logical. I always felt like he wasn't listening to me or understanding me.
It turns out, we were just having two different types of conversations. I explained the concept to him and our communication has been SO MUCH better. Sometimes I even start the conversation with "I'm communication via an emotional conversation" and he knows how to proceed in that conversation.

I can't wait to try out these concepts in a work environment. I have already been recommending this book to others and I plan to buy a physical copy to highlight and make notes in, when it's released.

I loved Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit and Smarter, Faster, Better years ago. So, when I saw that Supercommunicators was coming soon, I was so excited to read his new book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's not a topic that is necessarily groundbreaking. There have been other books that have gone deeper into the subject but this was a great refresher in the skills of communication.

If you're looking for a good book on communication, check this one out!

What makes communication work? As a librarian, I learned that when people came to me with a question, they often had a completely different question they were unable to articulate.
This book is about finding out what the real conversation is by making connections. Who we are and how we think of ourselves can have a lot to do with our willingness to accept new information.
The author backs up his ideas with several interesting studies, some with thousands of subjects. Most people could benefit from learning more about how to communicate.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this