The best 31 Listening books

1
Love More, Fight Less

Love More, Fight Less

Gina Senarighi
Communication Skills Every Couple Needs
3.8 (213 ratings)

What's Love More, Fight Less about?

Love More Fight Less provides straightforward directions on how to develop communication skills that will help you and your partner handle conflict. Various activities let you practice the skills, and this Blink details how to use these communication techniques in real-life situations.

Who should read Love More, Fight Less?

  • Couples that need help communicating
  • Those interested in improving their social skills and personal growth
  • Skilled communicators looking for new ways to connect in their relationships

2
Crucial Conversations

Crucial Conversations

Kerry Patterson
Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
4.2 (348 ratings)

What's Crucial Conversations about?

We’ve all been in situations where rational discussions get quickly out of hand, and Crucial Conversations investigates the root causes of this problem. You’ll learn techniques to handle such situations and shape them into becoming positive and solutions-oriented, while preventing your high-stakes conversations from turning into shouting matches.

Who should read Crucial Conversations?

  • Anyone whose job requires dealing with other people often
  • Anyone who wants to improve conversations in their personal relationships
  • Anyone who offers professional communications training

3
Listen Like You Mean It

Listen Like You Mean It

Ximena Vengoechea
Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection
4.4 (292 ratings)

What's Listen Like You Mean It about?

Listen Like You Mean It (2021) is a friendly, comprehensive guide to deepening relationships through the power of listening. Too often, our conversations with family, friends, and coworkers remain superficial – we talk past each other, refrain from showing vulnerability, or get caught in a tangle of misunderstanding. With tips and scripts taken from the author’s experience as a user researcher, we can improve our listening skills and, in doing so, be heard and understood ourselves.

Who should read Listen Like You Mean It?

  • Professionals who want to improve their workplace communication skills
  • The socially awkward
  • Anyone seeking more connection and understanding

4
People Skills

People Skills

Robert Bolton
How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts
4.4 (380 ratings)

What's People Skills about?

People Skills (1979) is a guidebook to learning effective communication skills. It illuminates the conversational roadblocks that impede good communication and damage relationships – and offers alternative methods for listening, asserting, and handling conflict.

Who should read People Skills?

  • Anyone interested in improving communication at home or at work
  • People who aspire to become better listeners
  • Those striving to be assertive rather than submissive or aggressive

5
How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less

How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less

Nicholas Boothman
Make Instant, Meaningful Connections for Interviewing, Selling, Managing, Pitching
4.2 (825 ratings)

What's How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less about?

How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less (2000) is a guide to connecting, communicating and expanding your social world. These blinks will teach you how to strike up a conversation with strangers and make them like you. It’ll also show you how to decode even their most subtle gestures.

Being likable is an art you can ace.

Who should read How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less?

  • Salespeople who want to improve their interpersonal skills
  • Anyone who wants to meet new people but doesn’t know where to begin
  • People looking to expand their circle of friends

6
Mastering Communication at Work

Mastering Communication at Work

Ethan F. Becker and Jon Wortmann
How to Lead, Manage, and Influence
4.5 (507 ratings)

What's Mastering Communication at Work about?

Mastering Communication at Work (revised edition, 2021) is a classic guide on leading in the workplace through strong communication skills. It teaches you how to communicate effectively by understanding your listener’s tendencies and motivations.

Who should read Mastering Communication at Work?

  • Managers looking for new communication tactics
  • Employees aiming to make the next step up
  • Executives who want to improve relations with staff

7
Nonviolent Communication

Nonviolent Communication

Marshall B. Rosenberg
A Language of Life
4.5 (430 ratings)

What's Nonviolent Communication about?

These blinks introduce the principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as a compassionate way of being with ourselves and others. Through simple techniques, you can learn how to consciously change your language and thinking to forge better quality relationships with others.

Who should read Nonviolent Communication?

  • Anyone wishing to improve their relationship with family, friends and coworkers
  • Newcomers to a city who want to create healthy relationships with new people

8
We Need to Talk

We Need to Talk

Celeste Headlee
How to Have Conversations That Matter
4.4 (193 ratings)

What's 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.

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

9
How to be Love(d)

How to be Love(d)

Humble the Poet
Simple Truths for Going Easier on Yourself, Embracing Imperfection & Loving Your Way to a Better Life
4.5 (111 ratings)

What's How to be Love(d) about?

How to be Love(d) (2022) teaches you how to transform your thoughts and actions to give, receive, and experience more love in life. Full of relatable stories and actionable advice, this guide will teach you how to rid yourself of useless programming, embrace imperfection, and honor your progress – so you can better love yourself and others.

Who should read How to be Love(d)?

  • Anyone going through a breakup
  • People looking to improve their romantic, platonic, or family relationships
  • Fans of the author’s art and music

10
Difficult Conversations

Difficult Conversations

Douglas Stone
How to Discuss What Matters Most
4.1 (275 ratings)

What's Difficult Conversations about?

Difficult Conversations (1999) takes a look at what makes a conversation difficult and why we often try to avoid them. It outlines how to correctly approach and maneuver through tough topics to build positive and meaningful relationships.

Who should read Difficult Conversations?

  • Politicians and business leaders
  • Teachers
  • Parents

11
Say What You Mean

Say What You Mean

Oren Jay Sofer
A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication
4.6 (229 ratings)

What's Say What You Mean about?

Say What You Mean (2018) is a guide to meaningful and productive communication. It shows how you can leave old, unhelpful habits behind and develop the skills to speak your mind in a clear and authentic way. It also teaches some simple practices to make your conversations more effective and satisfying.

Who should read Say What You Mean?

  • People who want to improve the quality of their conversations
  • Anyone who needs more confidence when talking to others
  • Everyone who wants to know how nonviolent communication works

12
The Art of Communicating

The Art of Communicating

Thich Nhat Hanh
The fascination of mindfulness in our daily lives
4.5 (297 ratings)

What's The Art of Communicating about?

The Art of Communicating (2013) offers valuable insight on how you can become a more effective communicator by practicing mindfulness. Drawing on Buddhist wisdom, it outlines ways you become a respectful listener, express yourself well, and ultimately improve your relationships with your loved ones.

Who should read The Art of Communicating?

  • Anyone looking to become a better communicator
  • Anyone interested in Buddhism
  • Anyone who wants to connect better with others

13
Management Mess to Leadership Success

Management Mess to Leadership Success

Scott Jeffrey Miller
30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow
4.4 (215 ratings)

What's Management Mess to Leadership Success about?

Management Mess to Leadership Success (2019) is a guide to renovating and polishing your management skills. Through relatable, personal anecdotes of fumbles, missteps, and what not to do, it offers applicable challenges for you to revamp your team by providing a step-by-step guide on how to lead yourself and others and deliver results.

Who should read Management Mess to Leadership Success?

  • Team managers
  • HR professionals
  • Leaders in and beyond the corporate office

14
The 11 Laws of Likability

The 11 Laws of Likability

Michelle Tillis Lederman
Relationship Networking … Because People Do Business with People They Like
4.1 (178 ratings)

What's The 11 Laws of Likability about?

The 11 Laws of Likability (2011) is a guide to networking built on one simple fact: people do business with people they like. These blinks will explain how to discover your most likable characteristics, start conversations and keep them going, and make a lasting positive impression on people.

Who should read The 11 Laws of Likability?

  • Anyone who wants to build a lasting professional relationship
  • Anyone starting a new job
  • Recent graduates looking for a job

15
Just Listen

Just Listen

Mark Goulston
Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone
4.2 (183 ratings)

What's Just Listen about?

Just Listen (2009) combines time-tested persuasion and listening techniques with new methods to help you get your message across to anybody. By learning how to be a better listener, how the brain works and how people think, you’ll be able to motivate people to do what you want because you’ll better understand their needs.

Who should read Just Listen?

  • Anyone who wants to improve their communication skills
  • Anyone working in therapy or mediation
  • Anyone who wants to be more persuasive

16
You're Not Listening

You're Not Listening

Kate Murphy
What You're Missing and Why It Matters
4.5 (279 ratings)

What's You're Not Listening about?

You’re Not Listening (2020) casts a spotlight on the undervalued skill of listening. It’s filled with examples of talented professional listeners, as well as practical advice for getting more out of conversations with others – not by saying more yourself, but by listening more closely to others.

Who should read You're Not Listening?

  • Couples looking to improve their communication skills
  • Professional listeners, from journalists to business negotiators
  • Everyone who wants to have better conversations

17
Raising Good Humans

Raising Good Humans

Hunter Clarke-Fields
A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids
4.5 (303 ratings)

What's Raising Good Humans about?

Raising Good Humans (2019) is a mindful parenting guide that teaches you how to stop yelling and get grounded. It features healthy practices that can help you break generational cycles and be a better parent.

Who should read Raising Good Humans?

  • Parents who want to stop yelling
  • Teachers and parents who need better conflict management strategies
  • Caregivers interested in personal development

18
Against Empathy

Against Empathy

Paul Bloom
The Case for Rational Compassion
4.3 (152 ratings)

What's Against Empathy about?

Against Empathy (2016) provides a wealth of scientific research to show empathy for what it really is: a flawed emotional reaction that has led countless people to make bad decisions. While many voices have called for others to have more empathy, Paul Bloom shows us that empathy can make things worse rather than better.

Who should read Against Empathy?

 

  • Students of psychology and philosophy
  • Readers who want to learn more about empathy
  • Fans of true crime stories

19
We Over Me

We Over Me

Khadeen & Devile Ellis
The Counterintuitive Approach to Getting Everything You Want from Your Relationship
3.8 (171 ratings)

What's We Over Me about?

We Over Me (2023) is the story of the podcasting-and-influencing power couple Devale and Khadeen Ellis – in their own words. With trademark disarming honesty, the Ellises lay bare the struggles and successes that have shaped them as a couple, and share the strategies that allow them to thrive as a partnership. 

Who should read We Over Me?

  • Single people looking for love that lasts
  • Couples who’ve lost sight of each other’s needs
  • Anyone who could do with a dose of unfiltered relationship advice

20
Getting to Zero

Getting to Zero

Jayson Gaddis
How to Work Through Conflict in Your High-Stakes Relationships
4.6 (283 ratings)

What's Getting to Zero about?

Getting to Zero (2021) is a guide to dealing with conflict in intimate, high-stakes relationships – those with your family, good friends, and partners. It describes a process for “getting to zero” by achieving resolution and closure after conflict.

Who should read Getting to Zero?

  • Conflict avoiders
  • Those who project childhood experiences onto others
  • All who want to resolve conflict in their interpersonal relationships

21
Raising Human Beings

Raising Human Beings

Ross W. Greene
Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child
4.8 (26 ratings)

What's Raising Human Beings about?

Raising Human Beings (2016) is part practical guide and part manifesto about the power of collaborative problem-solving. Using threats, bribes, and punishments doesn’t change children’s behavior sustainably. That’s because you just end up suppressing the symptoms of the problem, instead of addressing the root cause. Instead of engaging in power struggles, try asking your children what’s really going on, and brainstorming solutions together. Not only will you come up with better solutions – your relationship will improve dramatically.

Who should read Raising Human Beings?

  • Parents in the grip of a power struggle with their children
  • Prospective parents who want to learn to communicate constructively 
  • Educators and youth workers looking for new approaches to working with the children in their care

22
Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love

Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love

Nancy Dreyfus
Relationship Repair in a Flash
3.8 (336 ratings)

What's Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love about?

Talk To Me Like I’m Someone You Love (1993) is a relationship repair tool that coaches couples on how to speak to each other more genuinely.

Who should read Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love?

  • Couples in therapy
  • People who need relationship advice
  • Those looking for better relationship communication

23
The Argument Hangover

The Argument Hangover

Jocelyn Freeman and Aaron Freeman
Empowering Couples to Fight Smarter and Overcome Communication Pitfalls
4.6 (303 ratings)

What's The Argument Hangover about?

The Argument Hangover (2021) is your guide to constructively fighting with a romantic partner so that you both learn from the conflict and emerge from it even stronger. Through clear communication, you’ll be surprised to find how disagreements can suddenly become opportunities for growth.

Who should read The Argument Hangover?

  • Couples who feel like conflict is hurting their relationship
  • Individuals looking to learn how to be kinder to their partner
  • Aspiring relationship coaches looking for tips

24
Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen

Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen

Michelle Icard
The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School
4.0 (64 ratings)

What's Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen about?

Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen (2020) tackles the thorny subject of communicating with tweens – those adolescents between the ages of ten and fourteen who are beginning to pull away from their parents and close down lines of communication. This is the age at which “big” topics like sexuality, money, and life choices are more important than ever. But it’s also the age at which having a conversation with your child is harder than ever before. So what can parents do? Well, it’s time to learn a new way of talking with, and not at, your tween. 

Who should read Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen?

  • Relationship-builders struggling to talk with their tweens
  • Worriers who want the best for their kids
  • Parents of younger children preparing for the next step

25
Flip The Script

Flip The Script

Oren Klaff
Getting People to Think Your Idea Is Their Idea
4.2 (92 ratings)

What's Flip The Script about?

Flip The Script (2019) helps you up your sales and negotiation game. Sales is all about the art of persuasion but we all know that nobody likes to feel manipulated. In order to sell your idea or product in today’s world, your buyers need to feel like they’re making that decision on their own terms. Flip The Script provides techniques that allow you to subtly convince anyone that your idea is the right one.

Who should read Flip The Script?

  • Salespeople looking for an edge in their next presentation 
  • Anyone who has felt the pain of seeing their idea passed over in favor of an inferior one
  • Those who want to work on their negotiation and persuasion skills

26
I Don't Agree

I Don't Agree

Michael Brown
Why we can’t stop fighting – and how to get great stuff done despite our differences
4.0 (220 ratings)

What's I Don't Agree about?

I Don’t Agree (2020) is a practical guide to improving your conflict resolution skills. Disagreement is seen as bad, and even scary. But, actually, conflict can be a powerful engine for growth if you know how to deal with it effectively. I Don’t Agree provides ten practical strategies that will help you become an expert in dealing with conflict in all areas of your life.

Who should read I Don't Agree?

  • Employees seeking to improve their collaborations
  • Anyone wanting to resolve a bitter argument
  • Parents who want to learn how to teach conflict resolution skills to their kids

27
Let's Talk

Let's Talk

Therese Huston
Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower
4.5 (150 ratings)

What's Let's Talk about?

Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower (2021) is a guide to handling one of the trickiest parts of being a manager – giving feedback. Dr. Therese Huston draws upon her cognitive psychology research and her experience as an educator and consultant to help you understand how to give feedback in a way that benefits everyone involved.

Who should read Let's Talk?

  • Managers
  • Anyone interested in effective communication
  • Bearers of bad news

28
Talk Lean

Talk Lean

Alan H. Palmer
Shorter Meetings. Quicker Results. Better Relations.
3.8 (70 ratings)

What's Talk Lean about?

Talk Lean will teach you how to express your thoughts in a direct, candid, yet courteous manner. The author shares effective, easy-to-apply tips for having a productive conversation that helps achieve your goals.

Who should read Talk Lean?

  • Anyone who has trouble communicating at work
  • Anyone who has to confront difficult people on a daily basis
  • Anyone who hesitates to express their true thoughts and feelings

29
Missing Each Other

Missing Each Other

Edward Brodkin and Ashley Pallathra
How to Cultivate Meaningful Connections
4.2 (99 ratings)

What's Missing Each Other about?

Missing Each Other (2021) is a scientifically sound exploration of human connection. This wide-ranging primer explains how to truly bond with others in our fast-paced world.

Who should read Missing Each Other?

  • Lonesome people looking to link with others
  • Bad communicators seeking better ways to connect
  • Anyone interested in the psychology of alienation

30
Humility Is The New Smart

Humility Is The New Smart

Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig
Rethinking Human Excellence In the Smart Machine Age
4.5 (126 ratings)

What's Humility Is The New Smart about?

Humility Is the New Smart (2017) is your ticket to success in the new smart age of machines. These blinks are a practical guide for thriving in a world that’s increasingly run by machines, both on and off the job.

Who should read Humility Is The New Smart?

  • Workers and professionals worried about losing their jobs to machines
  • Parents who want to understand the world their children will grow up in
  • Curious minds interested in positive psychology

31
Don't Take Yes for an Answer

Don't Take Yes for an Answer

Steve Herz
Using Authority, Warmth, and Energy to Get Exceptional Results
4.5 (85 ratings)

What's Don't Take Yes for an Answer about?

Don’t Take Yes for an Answer (2020) identifies why some people consistently achieve career breakthroughs, while others struggle to reach their potential. By adopting an attitude of continual self-improvement and learning three crucial communication skills, you can achieve exceptional results, regardless of your field.

Who should read Don't Take Yes for an Answer?

  • Ambitious employees who are trying to land promotions
  • Underdogs seeking a breakthrough
  • Aspiring advocates who want to inspire others

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