17 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American writer and lecturer whose How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948) founded the American self-help genre — selling tens of millions of copies and creating the model for every interpersonal communication and influence book since.
Chris Voss's 2022 follow-up book — expanding the tactical empathy framework from Never Split the Difference into broader business communication contexts.
Dale Carnegie's guide to winning people's cooperation and friendship — one of the best-selling books of the 20th century, still in print after 90 years.
American trial attorney who became a prominent social media figure teaching communication and conflict resolution skills.
Chip and Dan Heath's 2007 framework for why some ideas stick and others fade — the SUCCESs model (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories) — providing a checklist for designing memorable and persuasive communication.
American communication coach and Stanford GSB lecturer — host of Think Fast Talk Smart podcast — author of Think Faster Talk Smarter — who teaches spontaneous speaking and communication skills to MBA students and executives.
American mail relay service that carried messages from Missouri to California in 10 days using horse relays — operating for only 18 months before the transcontinental telegraph made it obsolete — but which became one of the most celebrated entrepreneurial and operational achievements in American frontier history.
Charles Duhigg's 2024 investigation of extraordinary communicators — arguing that the key to communication is matching conversation type (practical, emotional, or social) and that anyone can learn supercommunicator skills.
Alison Wood Brooks's 2024 guide to better conversation — synthesizing conversation science research into practical frameworks for asking better questions, managing topics, and navigating difficult conversations.
A practical guide to difficult conversations by trial lawyer and social media communicator Jefferson Fisher — focused on speaking calmly and confidently in high-stakes situations.
Matt Abrahams's Stanford Graduate School of Business podcast — providing practical communication skills advice through interviews and instruction — one of the most downloaded business communication podcasts.
Stanford Graduate School of Business podcast hosted by Matt Abrahams — covering communication, public speaking, and professional presence — which has become one of the most listened-to business communication podcasts.
Matt Abrahams's 2023 guide to spontaneous speaking — providing frameworks for responding in the moment, managing communication anxiety, and speaking confidently without preparation.
Ukrainian president and former comedian who refused to flee Kyiv when Russia invaded in February 2022 — his 'I need ammunition, not a ride' rejection of American evacuation offers becoming the defining image of wartime leadership — and whose wartime communication transformed global support for Ukraine.
American video conferencing company founded by Eric Yuan in 2013 that became the default remote communication platform globally during the COVID-19 pandemic — with Zoom calls becoming synonymous with remote work.
Edward Tufte's essay arguing that PowerPoint's design forces the fragmentation and dumbing-down of information — and contributed to the organizational failures that led to the Columbia shuttle disaster.
American engineer and founder of C.F. Braun & Co. (industrial engineering) who developed rigorous communication standards — cited by Charlie Munger as the originator of the 'five Ws' communication rule.