Customer Reviews

Messages 2D - Paper

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The authors have created a very in depth but easy to read psycho analysis of poor communication skills and ways for individuals to help themselves change their attitude and methods of communicating with others.

Listening is probably the most important skill of communication that most of people lack. Many do not even think of listening as communication. I was guilty of trying to ancticipate or guess what the other person was going to say, already working out my reactive answer and therefore not hearing the last half of the conversation. It takes a bit of self control and discipline to be able to really listen.

People have a habit of not coming to the point for fear of being rejected or hurting the other persons feelings. The person giving the message learns how to take the sting out of the message by not blaming or accusing but still being direct. It is a different way of wording your sentences but I was amazed at the way this technique can defuse a tense situation.

If you find that you are sometimes missunderstood or fear of the reaction from telling your boss, wife, girlfriend or work colleague what you really think, then I would highly recommend purchasing this book. It is a great book for everybody.

This book is amazing. I felt like they should be paying royalties because they had stolen my life. Every poor communication skill I had was in there. The funny thing was that I didn't realize they were bad until this book explained it. It is as simple as someone turning on a light.It is so basic you can start improving your communication skills immediately. It has done wonders for my girlfriend and I. Without much work at all we have been able to communicate so much more effectively and it has truly allowed our relationship to blossom. Where before would fight and totally misunderstand each other, now we know how to talk with each other and avoid all the big communication downfalls. It is neat to see these good communication habits replace very destrucive patterns. They also reinforce themselves every time you practice them. After a while they become second nature and you become amused at how you are using these effective skills so easily. I know what everyone is getting for Christmas this year.

This is a self-help book that cuts through all the big words and psychological concepts and gets immediately into helping you change. There is something for everybody here -- parents, teens, managers, and children. Their explanations of screwed up communication patterns are concise and their "solutions" are elegant. One of the few self-help books I have bothered to keep on my bookshelve. Worth every penny.

This is a very thorough and detailed book, which presents the topic from a cognitive point of view. I found it a bit heavy on case studies and slanted toward cognitive approaches, but there is still a lot to learn here.

If you are looking for books to complement this, I highly recommend Crucial Conversations and Difficult Conversations. The Communications Skill Book sort of gives the lay of the land and some essential skills. The other books flesh out some areas where this book could be a bit stronger.

This is a well written book that should benefit everyone. The book explains the importance of effective communication skills for success in business (a large corporation, a small company, or even a home-based business) or in the home, with friends, in relationships and anywhere else. The author methodically explains the communication process including the message, the channel through which the message is conveyed, the receiver, feedback, the context of the communication and the barriers to effective communication and ways to overcome them.

For example, the author highlights the fact that in verbal communication, an active dialogue is engaged with the use of words. At the same time, however, non-verbal communication takes place, relying on nonverbal cues, such as gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, even clothing and personal space and how they influence interpretation of messages, including how the message is delivered.. The need to be mindful of cultural differences in communicating was explained, for example when using or interpreting nonverbal cues. The need to pay close attention to your tone of voice, even your voice's overall loudness and its pitch was highlighted.

The book also covers public speaking and how you can make better presentations, for example, by keeping the message clear and simple, being prepared, being vibrant and natural when delivering the message.

Other very important and interesting subjects covered including the importance of being assertive, having good listening skills, and being an effective negotiator, among other topics. The author reinforces his message with exercises that you can use as a self-help tool to improve your communication skills.

All-in-all, an excellent book that is highly recommended.

This book briefly discusses important aspects of communication; including proper listening and getting your message through without noises or communication blocks that hinder the communication process. Besides, it describes how to communicate with your mate, children and how to improve your assertiveness.

The discussion is concise, but the important aspects are very well discussed. This a very valuable book that should be read by everybody who has any concern about achieving a better communication.

I was recently looking for books to improve my communication, particularly at work. I purchased this book, as well as "What got you here won't get you there".

This book (Messages...) is far fluffier, more touchy-feely, and has less professional content than What got you here...

For personal and family communication, this book may be best, but perhaps it's just not my style of book.

I cant say im a complete extrovert at this moment, but thanks to this book I have opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about communication in a most delightful way. The title describes communication as a skill, something I personally haven't even begun to understand yet until I picked this book up and since then my skills have multiplied enormously. The book contains all the essential information you need and more. Just take a look at the contents. This is one of those books that will never be out-dated, Five stars.

other recommended reads:
The Assertiveness Workbook, by Randy J. Paterson Ph.D.
Talking The Winner's Way, by Leil Lowndes
Talk Your Way to the Top, by Kevin Hogan

This book is a great look into the inner workings of the human mind and the relationship humans have with communication and with each other. The book is divided into six sections, Basic Skills, Advanced Skills, Conflict Skills, Social Skills, Family Skills, and Public Skills. Each section has subsections on each aspect of those broad topics. The book was a very good representation of good communication. The author effectively made his points without boring me. Also, he did a great job of highlighting all the most common problem areas of communication for the average person. I feel like a better communicator after reading this book.

MESSAGES is a good introductory book for those not familiar with the study of human behavior. It was very easy to read and touched on many different aspects of human behavior. However, the book did not give many specifics and the examples did not go into great detail. Excellent for those wanting to learn a little more about human behavior.