This is a brief book by Charles Duhigg, the well-known author ofSmarter, Faster, Better and The Power of Habit. This new book, Supercommunicators, is, of course, a book about communication. Duhigg highlights research that indicates that there are people who naturally appear to facilitate productive communication within groups. These individuals appear to have several commonalities in style, all of which seem to result in a phenomenon called "entrainment," wherein the members of the groups appear to "sync" at the neurologic level, and this promotes more seamless (and hence more effective) communication among group members. He then moves into broader discussion of what makes a successful conversation (or communication). First, he describes three kinds of conversations and tools for recognizing which kind is taking place. The first "rule," if you will, is to make sure that you and your partner are having the same kind of conversation, otherwise expectations and understandings become asynchronous. Second, share goals and discern what others are seeking. Third, identify emotions in the conversation, yours and others'. Last, explore whether identities are important.

If you are a consumer of books about communication, much of Duhigg's exposition will be familiar. He brings in work from Gotmann, Brian Ury and Sheila Teen, Depak Maholtra, and others who have written classics in the area of communication and negotiation. There is a slightly different frame here but I did not find it particularly innovative or novel. The book is well-written, the topic is interesting, and there are interesting examples and references. But I do not believe that this is destined to be a classic in the field.

I’ve been reading many books on communication and kept reading the same things, be a good listener, etc.
This book is different, highly recommended for anyone that communicates-all of us!
Well researched, and interesting,
I plan on reading it again and reading some of the titles reference in this book.’
Learning to communicate effectively is a skill that can be learned.
This book helps anyone to understand the nuances to become a super communicator
This style of this book reminded me of another favorite author , Malcolm Gladwell, .

Charles Duhigg has done it again. From the author that brought us the power of habit, he now describes the power of super communication. We learn there’s a practical, emotional, and social portions to a conversation. Learning to communicate with the right communication style is the key to achieve the success and outcomes we would like to.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Not for me, but it might be for you!
I’ve read a lot in this genre of communication strategy and didn’t think this book added anything new to my knowledge so it was hard to read through. But for someone more novice it has a lot to offer.

As usual, Duhigg delves deep into what is behind communication -- for good or bad -- including the types of conversations we have and how becoming aware of those types empower us to communicate better. It almost feels like a very philosophical look at the way we communicate and touches on persuasion, logic, and reason. There's a primer on difficult conversations as well as social conversation "tactics" such as identity, equal footing, similarities, and managing your environment. Interesting book, highly recommend!

Synopsis: Supercommunicators looks at what makes some people exceptional at connecting with others. Executives, politicians, community leaders, and CIA operatives were all interviewed and highlighted in Supercommunicators to prove that communication is more about listening and making others feel heard rather than speaking.

Why does this book beguile? After his book, The Power of Habit, I was incredibly excited to get Duhigg's’ latest book as an ARC. I love learning about communication and ways to communicate better and more effectively. Supercommunicators is a great book if you’ve never explored material around empathy, listening, or communication. If you’re looking for a first book to launch you into the world of more effective communication, Supercommunicators will help you immensely.

However, if you’ve read books like Dare to Lead by Brene Brown or Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, most of this material will repeat what you’ve read. Because I’ve studied this material for a while, I found nothing groundbreaking or noteworthy. There were many good reminders of principles already learned, but nothing revelatory. I also feel strongly this book can be 100-150 pages shorter. Some of the anecdotes went on for far too long and felt disjointed from the point trying to be made.