Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
We Need to Talk summary
Celeste Headlee
How to Have Conversations That Matter
21 mins
Brief summary
We Need to Talk is a non-fiction book by Celeste Headlee that talks about the lost art of conversation. It offers practical tips to improve your listening and communication skills to have more meaningful conversations.
Topics
Table of Contents
We Need to Talk
Summary of 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Good communication is fundamental to being human, but modern life has set us up with some bad habits.
If you were to stand a human next to, say, a snow leopard or a Komodo dragon, you might wonder how we became the dominant species. There are all kinds of animals out there that are faster, bigger, and stronger than we are. Even some whose teeth are filled with poison! Yet somehow, humans have risen to the top.
One reason is our ability to communicate. What we lack in physical prowess, we make up for in being able to talk to each other in minute detail – and to listen, too. That has all manner of evolutionary advantages.
It’s strange, then, that we don’t try a bit harder when it comes to communicating. In fact, these days, we’re getting worse and worse at it.
The key message here is: Good communication is fundamental to being human, but modern life has set us up with some bad habits.
People have been talking to each other since the dawn of time, but here’s a very modern example that shows why learning to do it well is worth it – poor communication costs money. For large businesses in the US and UK the impact could be as much as $37 billion a year, according to a report from 2008.
It’s not just financial, and it’s not just businesses that are affected either. Another study found that college students in 2010 were 40 percent less empathetic than students from 30 years earlier. A big contributor to this is undoubtedly the rise of technology and social media, which encourages fleeting superficial connection, not empathy.
In another study, researchers put multiple pairs of strangers in a room together and asked them to chat – in half of the rooms they also put a cell phone on the table. And even though the phone was just sitting there, it had a negative impact on the couples’ communication. The pairs in the rooms with no cell phone reported developing better relationships, and feeling more trust and empathy.
What can you do about this? Putting your phone away is just the beginning. More important than that is for you to start taking the art of conversation seriously.
If you have a bad conversation, it’s common to impulsively blame the other person for not being interesting enough. Definitely stop doing that! Instead, if you can take the responsibility for shaping an interesting conversation yourself, you’ll be amazed at the results.
Want to see all full key ideas from We Need to Talk?
Key ideas in We Need to Talk
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is We Need to Talk about?
We Need to Talk (2017) walks you through the art of good conversation – a vital but often undervalued skill. It shows how effective conversation leads to more meaningful relationships and a greater understanding of other people. The book also offers advice on how to improve your own conversation skills.
We Need to Talk Review
We Need to Talk (2017) by Celeste Headlee is an enlightening exploration of the lost art of conversation and why it's essential in our digital age. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Offers practical techniques and strategies to improve our communication skills, enabling us to connect deeply with others.
- Examines the impact of technology on our conversations, highlighting the importance of being present and truly listening.
- Shares real-life stories that illustrate the power of conversation, making the book engaging and thought-provoking.
Who should read We Need to Talk?
- People frustrated by superficial conversations
- Keen talkers who want to become better listeners
- Conversationalists eager to improve their skills
Categories with We Need to Talk
Book summaries like We Need to Talk
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
31 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
We Need to Talk FAQs
What is the main message of We Need to Talk?
The main message of We Need to Talk is improving our communication skills for better relationships.
How long does it take to read We Need to Talk?
The reading time for We Need to Talk varies, but it typically takes a few hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is We Need to Talk a good book? Is it worth reading?
We Need to Talk is worth reading. It provides valuable insights and practical advice for effective communication.
Who is the author of We Need to Talk?
Celeste Headlee is the author of We Need to Talk.
What to read after We Need to Talk?
If you're wondering what to read next after We Need to Talk, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Moving Past Small Talk by The Blinkist Team
- Work Smarter, Not Harder by The Blinkist Team
- Get It by AmyK Hutchens
- The Fine Art Of Small Talk by Debra Fine
- Ready Aim Fire! by Erik Fisher and Jim Woods
- Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
- 12 Rules For Life by Jordan B. Peterson
- Head Strong by Dave Asprey
- Power Hour by Adrienne Herbert
- Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
Featured Titles
- 4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication
- A Burning
- Against Interpretation
- All You Need to Know About the Music Business
- And the Mountains Echoed
- And Then There Were None
- Contract Drafting and Negotiation for Entrepreneurs and Business Professionals
- Conversation Casanova
- Creating Effective Teams
- Extraordinary PR, Ordinary Budget