What are the best books on business communication?
Business communication is an essential component of innovation and for an organization to maintain a competitive advantage. Henry Ford once said, “if everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” There is nothing better than having a collective team that brings together individual ideas into the same goal.
The list of the best books on business communication attempts to bring textbook knowledge as well as knowledge from experts in the field. Every team leader needs to take business communication as serious as their business. We hope that the list of the best books on business communication brings you new insight, knowledge, and benefit. Happy reading!
Best Books on Business Communication
THE LIST:
1 – Simply Said | By Jay Sullivan
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Jay Sullivan is a renowned communication consultant who works closely with writers to help better the way they write, create emails, run meetings as well as handle public speaking sections. He is super good at the mechanics of content writing and organization. He will teach you why writing simple sentences 
In his manual, Simply Said: Communicating Better at Work and Beyond, he teaches the benefits of focusing on the audience and using phrases and words which are easy to understand. You will learn to use stories to deliver your main message clearly and vividly.
Quotes from the book;
“To improve our ability to connect with others, to understand them and to be understood more clearly, the easiest and most effective way…is to focus less on ourselves and more on the other person.”
“The longer your document, the less likely it is to be read. Keep it short so that people read your ideas and act on them. That’s how you have impact.”
“Most professionals interact far more on the phone than face-to-face, so leveraging the power of your voice is crucial.”
“Most presenters…are more comfortable when responding to questions…compared with when they are delivering their content from slides or notes.”
“Here’s the main concept behind effectively using visuals. Tell people what they are looking at before you tell them why they’re looking at it.”
2 – How to Talk to Anyone | By Leil Lowndes
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As per the writings by poet and English dramatist Ben Jonson, what comes out of your mouth defines you. His phrase “Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee.” is a clear explanation that people judge you based on your choice of words, facial expressions, body language, attitude, and dress style. This book, How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships, by Leil Lowndes aims to help you become a better personality by revealing the tricks used by behavioral experts like 
Quotes from the book;
“A wise politician, when asked if he were for or against Prohibition, answered: If by alcohol, you mean the dangerous drink which destroys families than I am fully for Prohibition. But if by alcohol, you mean noble drink which promotes good fellowship and makes every meal a pleasure, then I am against it.”
“great posture, a heads-up look, a confident smile, and a direct gaze.” The ideal image for somebody who’s a Somebody.”
“There are two kinds of people in this life: Those who walk into a room and say, ‘Well, here I am!’ And those who walk in and say, ‘Ahh, there you are’.”
“No man would listen to you talk if he didn’t know it was his turn next.”
“When you act as though you like someone, you start to really like them.”
3 – Crucial Conversations | By Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
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Reflecting on the former U.S. President John Kennedy’s words, we should never negotiate in fear or fear to negotiate. His wise words are quite applicable in the modern-day business world. Kerry Patterson, together with his leadership consultants and co-writers, have outlined smart and effective techniques businesses can use to negotiate effectively and resolve conflicts during necessary business 
Quotes from the book;
“A crucial conversation is a discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary and (3) emotions run strong.”
“If you know how to handle crucial conversations, you can step up to and effectively hold tough conversations about virtually any topic.”
“Strong relationships, careers, organizations, and communities all draw from the same source of power – the ability to talk openly about high-stakes, emotional, controversial topics.”
“The path to high productivity passes not through a static system, but through face-to-face conversations at all levels.”
“Companies that are best-in-class in innovation, teamwork, change management, or any other area that calls for human interaction, are best-in-class in holding the relevant crucial conversations.”
4 – Everyone Communication, Few Connect | By John Maxwell
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Mimic John Maxwell, a superstar in leadership development, to boost your people skills. After introducing the ‘Everyone Communicates, Few Connect’ books, Maxwell earned hundreds of thousands of views and thousands of comments besides selling over 18 million copies. The book features lots of 
Quotes from the book;
“The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.”
“Most people decide very quickly whether they will continue listening to you or simply ‘turn off’ and stop paying attention.”
“More than 90% of the impression we…convey has nothing to do with what we actually say.”
“People don’t remember what we think is important; they remember what they think is important.”
“Even if connecting with others isn’t something you’re good at today, you can learn how to do it and become better tomorrow.”
5 – How to Win Friends and Influence People | By Dale Carnegie
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In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie, a lecturer and the writer of this book, explains how behavioral changes can help you get what you want from people within your circle. He guides you to deal with people the right way to enhance your leadership skills. The examples he outlines are from his real-life experiences and lessons learned from great leaders of the past like Abraham Lincoln. He 
Quotes from the book;
“Make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely.”
“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
“Personally I am very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found that for some strange reason, fish prefer worms. So when I went fishing, I didn’t think about what I wanted. I thought about what they wanted. I didn’t bait the hook with strawberries and cream. Rather, I dangled a worm or grasshopper in front of the fish and said: “Wouldn’t you like to have that?”
“Why not use the same common sense when fishing for people?”
“Everybody in the world is seeking happiness—and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn’t depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions.”
“The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.”
6 – Just Listen | By Mark Goulston
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Being the life of the party won’t help you make a sale. In fact, letting other people take the spotlight will actually garner more admiration and eventual “buy-in,” explains psychiatrist Mark Goulston. This advice follows his axiom, “Be more interested than interesting,” which is one of his nine principles for 
Quotes from the book;
“Almost all communication is an effort to get through to people and cause them to do something different than they were doing before.”
“Reaching people isn’t magic. It’s an art…and a science. And it’s easier than you think.”
“If someone can’t or won’t listen to you, get him to listen to himself.”
7 – Never Split the Difference | By Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
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Most people don’t like confronting, capitulating, hate bargaining, or conflicting, which is entirely wrong for a relationship or business. In the book Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It, by Chris Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator and award-winning journalist Tahl Raz, Chris narrates how smartly he negotiated with kidnappers to save lives. He teaches smart negotiation techniques, 
Quotes from the book;
“Instead of doing any thinking at all in the early goings about what you’re going to say – make your sole and all-encompassing focus the other person and what they have to say.”
“Once you’re clear on what your bottom line is, you have to be willing to walk away. Never be needy for a deal.”
“When we embrace negotiating’s transformative possibilities, we learn how to get what we want and how to move others to a better place.”
“Every negotiation, every conversation, every moment of life is a series of small conflicts that, managed well, can rise to creative beauty.”
“Prepare, prepare, prepare. When the pressure is on, you don’t rise to the occasion; you fall to your highest level of preparation.”
8 – Essentials of Business Communication | By Mary Guffey and Dana Loewy
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Develop 21st job-readiness skills with this text by Dana Loewy and Mary Guffey. Known as the “Essentials of Business Communication,” the book packs award-winning strategies, time-proven 
Quotes from the book;
“Since information technology, mobile devices, and social media have transformed the workplace, people in today’s workforce communicate more, not less.”
“Effective writing skills can be a stepping-stone to great job opportunities; poorly developed writing skills, on the other hand, will derail a career.”
“Your future employer will expect you to show professionalism and possess what is often referred to as soft skills in addition to your technical knowledge.”
9 – Business Communication | By Peter Cardon
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Peter Cardon, in the book Business Communication: Developing Leaders for a Networked World, touches on the benefits of proper communication in developing leaders for a networked world. Cardon highlights core-based and practitioner approaches, a forward-looking vision built on traditional concepts, and 
Quotes from the book;
“In most business situations, others make judgments about what you say, write, and do based on your credibility. Credibility is your reputation for being trustworthy”
“As far as corporate communications, the dominant business ethic in recent years is transparency.”
“Establishing credibility allows you to communicate more easily and more influentially.”
10 – Business Communication | By Amy Newman and Scot Ober
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Scot Ober and Amy Newman, in their book Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online offer handy communication concepts to help organizations streamline communication. They provide real-life situations and examples to exhibit the best working mechanisms in modern businesses. The two aim to help you learn the best oral and written communication skills to enable you to navigate complicated 
Quotes from the book;
“Business communication is more complex and more highly criticized than ever.”
“Walk through the halls of any organization-a start-up company, a Fortune 500 giant, a state government office, or a not-for-profit organization-and what do you see? Managers and other employees drafting emails, attending meetings, writing reports, conducting interviews, talking on the phone, and making presentations. In short, you see people communicating.”
“Clearly, good communication skills are crucial to your success in an organization.”
Final Thoughts
This article was an attempt to consolidate the best books on business communication. Obviously, the list is not an exhausted list of every book on the subject. However, the ‘best books on business communication’ list attempt to orchestrate different angles and degrees on business communication.
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