Communication Breakdown

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We are communicating in more ways—and faster—than ever. Most professionals say the majority of their time is spent corresponding. Yet, a 2024 Forbes State of Workplace Communication survey found nearly half of workers say their productivity and job satisfaction are negatively impacted by ineffective communication. A Grammerly report found that poor communication costs US businesses an estimated $1.2 trillion annually, or about $12,506 per employee per year.

There seems to be a disruption in transmission. Irish writer and cofounder of the London School of Economics George Bernard Shaw infamously warned: “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Just like everyone learns differently, everyone communicates differently and brings individual intentions and biases to an interaction, making a process that might seem straightforward incredibly perilous.

Many of the communication books being published today explore what impedes our ability to comprehend one another and ways for traversing this divide—and not just for self-serving purposes, like winning in negotiations, but in sincere hope of repairing our fractured bonds. Here are Briefings’ top reads of the last year.

Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection

by Charles Duhigg

New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit breaks down the three types of conversations humans engage in and how to sync up our intentions and delivery style.

Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World

by john a. powell and Stephen Menendian

The authors illuminate the ways we cast people as adversaries and provide tools for turning toward one another in service of shared prosperity.

Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership and Life

by Jeff Wetzler

A how-to guide for discovering what those around you really think, believe, and feel, which in turn leads to better decision making, ingenuity, and connection.

How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen

by David Brooks

The New York Times columnist seeks to find out how we come to comprehend what someone is communicating about themselves and, in turn, authentically share ourselves with others.

The Laws of Connection: The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network

by David Robson

Through philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology, the award-winning science writer explores the cognitive biases that prevent us from building deeper relationships.