If you haven’t seen about a bazillion social media posts about how we are NOW HALFWAY THROUGH 2022… where have you been?

Just in case: July 2, 2022 marked the official halfway point of 2022, which means we are now on the downhill slide. If you haven’t accomplished at least half of what you were hoping for this year, you’re SOL. Might as well give it up now.

JK!!!

As you already know, almost all of the posts around where-we-are-in-the-year versus where-we-wanted-to-be/want-to-be/hope-to-be are all designed to create urgency in the hope of selling something. It’s just a marketing tactic. An effective one – yes, but a tactic nonetheless.

I’m not pointing out the halfway point of the year to sell you anything, so rest easy. I’m mentioning it because it’s exciting to think about what you COULD learn in the remaining 6 months of this year… simply by picking up a book (or listening to it).

Unless you’re new around here, you know how passionate I am about reading. In fact, I have an entire section of my website dedicated to books that have been ‘Worth A Read’ for me. In a world that is chock full with ways to learn new things, master fresh skills, and expand our horizons, you’ll still find me curled up the old-fashioned way: with a BOOK.

Yes, of course, our modern world has given us plenty of ways to learn and discover, but I still say the best way is THROUGH READING. There is something to be said about how an author can succinctly capture their philosophy and manage to commute it from their brain and their heart straight into that of their readers. It’s masterful to have the opportunity to peek into someone else’s mind and truly understand what it is they are longing to communicate!

And I don’t just feel this way about non-fiction. Studies have found that even fiction can help spur personal growth and self-development, improving our cognitive empathy and teaching us more about ourselves. 

The best part about discovering a good book?  Sharing it with others!  It’s so much fun to share the books that have an impact on you with the people that matter in your life. This is why sharing book recommendations online and gifting books to friends and strangers alike has become something of a passion for me. You never know what positive transformation that information will spark!

As an executive coach and consultant, I can honestly say that the ability to communicate effectively is the foundation of impactful leadership. And the foundation of effective communication? You guessed it: a lot of it can be found in books!

Never underestimate the importance of having strong communication skills: a good leader needs to be comfortable talking with their team, guiding them in the right direction and helping them reach their fullest potential. This can only be done through an almost magical combination of story-telling and vision-casting. This requires audience involvement – NOT a rote recitation of information, but rather an engaging, enlightening, educating, and entertaining conversation.

Just in time for summer reading by the pool (or just in time for the halfway point of the year, lol), here are five great books that helped me become a more effective communicator and I know they’ll do the same for you!

1. Damn Good Advice (For People With Talent!): How to Unleash Your Master Communicator by George Lois
   
   Ad industry professional George Lois stresses the importance of creativity, relating an epiphany he had at age 14 that “nothing is as exciting as an idea.” He further elaborates that “all creativity should be communicated in a nanosecond,” stressing the importance of being able to convey your “core idea” in a manner that’s simple, easily understood, and memorable.
   
   
   

2. 10 Skills for Effective Business Communication: Practical Strategies from the World's Greatest Leaders by Jessica Higgins
   
   Communication can be a very complicated thing: it doesn’t matter how great our ideas are or how eloquent our wording, if the person on the receiving end isn’t listening or doesn’t care about what we’re saying, then we’re in a bad position. One thing that Jessica Higgins has taught me is that good communicators know that it’s never all about them: it’s about the people we’re trying to communicate with. This means knowing when to stop and listen. If people think we aren’t listening to them, it won’t be long before they stop listening to us.
   
   
   

3. Intentional Communication: Emotional Validation, Listening, Empathy, and the Art of Harmonious Relationships by Patrick King
   
   Much like what Higgins discusses in her book, Patrick King recognizes that narcissistic behavior is the ultimate barrier to becoming the kind of compassionate and emotionally intelligent person many of us strive to be. One of the most common mistakes in communication is framing arguments as an “us versus them” situation. This can lead to defensive behavior that ends up exacerbating the problem rather than solving it. Moving past that kind of mentality is the first step to having better communications with friends, family, and co-workers.
   
   
   

4. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen
   
   Some conversations are inherently harder to work through than others, but this book by Stone, Patton, and Heen helps to simplify the process by breaking things down into three main types of conversation: the “What Happened? Conversation, the Feelings conversation, and the Identity Conversation. This might seem simple, but possessing an understanding of what type of conversation we’re having makes it that much easier to know what’s at stake and how to best handle it.
   
   
   

5. How to Listen with Intention: The Foundation of True Connection, Communication, and Relationships (How to be More Likable and Charismatic) by Patrick King
   
   Another book by Patrick King, this one elaborates on his previous work, discussing the importance of listening and the need for empathy when communicating with others. He goes over what makes listening to someone and REALLY hearing them so difficult, particularly the balancing act of active listening and empathetic reflection. All conversation is a relationship (and vice versa), so listening well and figuring out the give-and-take is vital if we want the best results, whether you’re working with a teammate or a loved one. 

One final thought to leave you with… reading shouldn’t be a burden.  Yes, this year is halfway in the books (see what I did there?!) but who cares? Summertime is the perfect time to find some extra time for nurturing your mind and resting your body with a good book. Prefer some true crime or head-over-heels romance? Great! Indulge yourself. This isn’t a homework assignment. But, if you’re in the mood to boost your leadership skills by investing some brain power in elevating your ability to communicate, snag one or more of the books on this list and get to it. It’s never too late (in the year OR in life) to make some improvements.

Read one or more of these books? Let me know what you thought of it/them in the comments!

Have your own list of books that are worth a read? I want to know that, too!