Supercommunicators

How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit, a fascinating exploration of what makes conversations work, and how we can all learn to be supercommunicators at work and in life.

“A revealing look at how to be understood.”
— Adam Grant

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The Right Conversation, At The Right Moment, Can Change Everything.

We all know people who are capable of connecting with almost anyone. They’re the ones we love talking to, who we turn to for advice, who hear what we are trying to say and make us feel seen.

What do they know about conversation that makes them so special?

Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg argues, understand that whenever we speak, we’re actually participating in one of three conversations: practical (What’s this really about?), emotional (How do we feel?), and social (Who are we?). If you don’t know what kind of conversation you’re having, connection is hard.

Skilled communicators know the importance of recognizing — and then matching — each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and hidden beliefs that color so much of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives, and how we see ourselves, and others, shape every discussion, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work.

With his trademark clarity and storytelling, Duhigg shows readers how to recognize these three conversations — and teaches us the skills we need to navigate them more successfully.

Communication is a superpower. By bringing readers into jury deliberations and fraught CIA recruitments, into Netflix’s company-wide conversations about equity and the writers’ room of The Big Bang Theory, we learn why some people are able to make themselves heard — and to hear others — so clearly. We learn how to identify and leverage the hidden layers that lurk beneath every conversation.

In the end, we learn a simple but powerful lesson: With the right tools, we can connect with anyone.

  • “Charles Duhigg does it again, with a book we all need to read. Using his unique mix of stories and science, he gives us SUPERCOMMUNICATORS, a guide to better conversation and deeper human connection. If you want to improve your communications skills at work and in life, this book is the place to start.”

    —Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author

  • “Charles Duhigg delivers a winning combination of stories, studies, and guidance that might well transform the worst communicators you know into some of the best.”

    —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking

  • “Our personal and professional success depend upon our ability to understand and be understood, and yet, we typically leave this up to intuition. In SUPERCOMMUNICATORS, Charles Duhigg goes through a mountain of research — and some riveting stories — and unearths practical tactics to show that anyone can become a more effective listener, speaker, and even social media poster.”

    —David Epstein, author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World and The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance

  • "This book stayed with me. I found myself thinking about how many questions I ask and how often I laugh in conversation. Given how much talking we all do, it's amazing how little we understand. A much-needed guide to connecting in disconnected times."

    Amanda Ripley, author of High Conflict