As usual Duhigg has done an excellent job in researching this book. I recommend it to anyone who has to communicate with another human. It takes the conversations to an entirely new level. I have started applying the concepts in my business and have notices better understanding and connection with my clients. It is a must read for people with jobs that involve public interaction

The author presents engaging stories and scenarios to describe the concepts that they are trying to put forth. This books reads like a story rather than a run-of-the-mill 'self-help' book. The transition from one topic to the next is very gradual and the reader gets convinced on the concepts through the narrative. Overall, this is a good book to learn about and improve on one's communication.

Ironically, I did not connect with this book.

I enjoyed “The Power Of Habit”, but Supercommunicators felt like a slog. I’ve learned that when a book starts to feel more like a chore than a challenging & fulfilling experience, then I need to stop reading and move on to the next candidate on my To Be Read pile.

The story about the CIA agent is full of moral ambiguity. Right at the start, we’re asked to believe that he’s a good guy working for a good government agency-- or at least we should ignore all the potentially horrible unintended consequences of his good intentions.

Yes he (eventually) figured out the best way to recruit a foreign agent-- yay? The result was a “happily ever after” relationship, but everything could have gone horribly wrong. The foreign agent trusted the entire American agency (not just the recruiter) and had no idea how their information would be used. The foreign agent had no idea whether the recruiter really worked for the CIA instead of some other government or group. That foreign agent could have entered into a life of coercion and blackmail, or even been convicted of crimes and imprisoned. Why should this story inspire me to develop this type of supercommunicator skill?

The jury story required a very long and detailed explanation of the jury’s trial and an understanding of the alleged criminal’s mental stability. Once again we’re required to suspend our disbelief in the events behind the story and accept that the jury needs to reach a verdict with no other assistance or information.

It felt as though the jury’s story ran for a few pages, then halted for an analysis of supercommunicator skills. We returned to the jury story, but a few paragraphs later we had to stop yet again for another analysis & explanation.

Then we returned to the supercommunicator juror who shared a completely unrelated personal story to explain why the entire case should never have been sent to trial in the first place. The jury’s debate about the American justice system (and the jury’s failure to ask for more guidance from the judge) completely overwhelmed the description of supercommunicator techniques. I’m not an editor, but that story was very difficult to work through.

I don’t have solutions to my problems with reading the book. I simply know that when I don’t connect with a book then it’s time for me to move on.

I was really looking forward to reading to this because I love this author. It took all that had to read it. The information just didn’t reasonate with me. I was hoping it would because I work in customer service and wanted to get more tools to be able to communicate and understand people I talk with.

The author presents engaging stories and examples that effectively support their points. While some information is fundamental, the overall presentation is excellent, offering robust communication approaches. I recommend it.

I stopped at 8% but I found the ideas and the studies presented conceptually interesting. I imagine it will sit well next to the books already on the shelf. I didn’t feel like, from what I read, much was/would be added to the genre. But it was easy to read, easy to follow, and will likely go over well with the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Quite good, Interesting stories and examples of the author's point. Some of the info is very basic, but nonetheless well presented, and together, the ideas provide solid approaches to good communication. Recommended.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

I loved this book! Charles Duhigg is so good at combining useful information with compelling anecdotes. In Supercommunicators, he examines the different types of conversations we have (practical, emotional, and social) and explains how we can more effectively communicate with each other by recognizing what type of conversation we're having. For example, if I think we're having an emotional conversation and you think we're having a practical one, we're not going to get very far!

Duhigg gives concrete examples of each type of conversation and explains how we can become supercommunicators by recognizing and matching each type of conversation. The tools he describes apply to all sorts of conversations, and there really is something for everyone in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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.