Every group has got them: that person who not only conveys ideas well but can get an audience to listen.
A supercommunicator.
This type of person and their communicative ability is the basis of the book Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg.
Supercommunicators is filled with lots of information to help the reader break the boundaries that sometimes constrain them when trying to have a conversation with a spouse, friend, colleague, or sometimes a stranger.
Reading the book makes it clear that just like many of the life skills we needed to learn growing up, most of us didn’t learn how to communicate well. (Of course, some personalities are better at it than others.)
Looping to Win
Instead of arguing to win, the author shares ideas about looping for understanding and why this technique is optimal for conflict resolution.
During this section, the reader is given a great example of how this technique can be used for open debates. It’s clear this technique should be taught to all and not just to married couples in counselling.
Looping for understanding helps you and your conversational partner know you are not against one another but are listening and prepared to work together to find common ground.
Learning this technique and using it well would bring more change as opposed to division. As shown in the book, it’s the perfect technique for discussing politics.
Communication for Community
A section of the book discusses a divide between two religious groups after the war in Iraq.
To improve the relationship between the two groups a new football league was established which came along with clear inclusion rules.
The example in this chapter highlights a remarkable thing about identity: having a strong identity is healthy but at the same time, you can allow your identity to hinder you if you only focus on one aspect instead of your full self.
When have you allowed your identity to prevent you from hearing a group that was not your own? The author provides the reader with a handful of examples and of course a cure for this.
Agree to Disagree
I did not agree with everything contained in the book but that’s what I liked about it.
Charles Duhigg talks about having hard conversations in the book.
These are the types of conversations where each party has got their own opinion and often still won’t agree afterwards. However, instead of the book becoming a masterclass on how to change someone’s mind, the last section focused on how these conversations should be had and how one could prepare for them.
At times, Supercomminucators reminded me of the podcast Mind Shift: a podcast where the aim is to get the listener to think and not to agree simple-mindedly.
Supercomminicators will give you the tools to turn a potentially heated conversation into a conversation where each side can actually hear each other, empathise with one another, and still like each other at the end.
Super Communication
Supercommunicators has got an academic edge to it and it’s the type of book most enjoyed when you read a whole chapter in one sitting instead of in squirrelled moments. If you are someone who is looking to run a corporation, lead a team, or have more meaningful conversations, this book would suit you. It challenges the reader enough to help them move further into a dimension of better conversations, tackling topics bigger than the title suggests.
Title: Want to Be a Super Communicator? Here Are Three Tips.
Author: Leonie Thomas
Date Published: 30.6.2024
Leonie Thomas 