Description
Whether you’re a recent graduate or a veteran executive, having superior communication skills is a must in today’s workforce. It is crucial to listen and to be understood, while also speaking with clarity. But why are some people better communicators than others?
Charles Duhigg, HBS ’03 and a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, ventured to seek answers to this question. The result is his newest book, which is drawing rave reviews. In Supercommunicators (Random House, Feb. 2024), Duhigg writes that communication is a superpower and the best communicators understand that whenever we speak, we’re participating in one of three conversations: practical (What’s this about?), emotional (How do we feel?), and social (Who are we?).
“We can then match the other person and invite them to match us. Within psychology, this is known as the matching principle,” Duhigg observes. “What it says is that we need to be having the same kind of conversation at the same time, if we want to connect with each other.”
Drawing on social experiments, neurological studies, and examples of how CIA agents recruit informants and doctors review treatment options with patients, Duhigg provides wise advice for bonding with friends, fighting with partners, and bridging divides over volatile issues as gun control.
“This is not just a riveting read about how to understand others better. It’s also a revealing look at how to be understood. 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,” management guru Adam Grant noted on the book sleeve.
Charles Duhigg, who has spoken twice at the Club to cover his previous books, The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better, will join the Club and our partners from around the world for this exclusive conversation over Zoom.
Note: Please support Charles’s work by purchasing a copy of Supercommunicators at your favorite bookstore or download.
Participants must register by NOON on March 25th to receive details on joining the discussion. The Zoom link will be sent out 24 hours before the event.
Please note that no refunds will be issued.