This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:
- My Top 25 Reading List, Compiled for You
- How to Be Inspiring: Science-Backed Strategies from the World’s #1 Expert
- Join Me and Kidnap-for-Ransom Negotiator Scott Walker
My Top 25 Reading List, Compiled for You
I love books. Always have.
I love reading them, looking at them, even writing them (even though that’s an incredibly painful process).
As an adult, I’ve read 3000.
Reading gives us access to someone else’s storyworld, and is a powerful shortcut to mastering any skill.
Books compress years of experience and give us more wisdom per minute than any other medium.
But too often, we consume information without applying it.
That's a mistake, especially with communication.
To help you bridge that gap, I've distilled 3,000 books into this list of 25 essential, actionable reads for you.
Here's how to use them:
For Storytelling that Sticks:
Will Storr's The Science of Storytelling, John Yorke’s Into the Woods and Kindra Hall's Stories that Stick.
For Conversations that Connect:
Alison Wood Brooks' TALK, Matt Abrahams Think Faster, Talk Smarter and Jefferson Fisher's The Next Conversation.
For Body Language that Builds Trust:
Vanessa Van Edwards' Cues and Joe Navarro's The Dictionary of Body Language.
For Human Connection that Lasts:
Charles Duhigg's Supercommunicators, David Robson’s The Laws of Connection, and Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering.
For Attracting Opportunities with an Authentic Personal Brand:
My own book Unignorable, and Daniel Priestley’s Oversubscribed.
For Public Speaking that Moves:
Carmine Gallo's Talk Like TED.
For Founders with a Message:
My own Message Machine (with Jag Singh).
For Pitching that Persuades:
April Dunford's Sales Pitch and Oren Klaff's Flip the Script.
For a Voice that Commands Attention:
Caroline Goyder's Find Your Voice and Roger Love's Set Your Voice Free.
For Inspirational, Not Infuriating Leadership:
Adam Galinsky’s Inspire prepares the path (I speak to Adam on the podcast this week, more below).
For Selling that Doesn’t Suck:
Alex Hormozi’s $100M Offers & $100M Leads.
For Understanding Human Nature:
Will Storr’s The Status Game.
For Influence that's Ethical:
Robert Cialdini's Influence and Robert Greene's The Laws of Human Nature.
The key here is action. Don't just add these to your shelf. Don't let this list overwhelm you. Instead:
📌 Save this list.
📚 Pick one book that addresses your biggest communication challenge.
🗣️ Extract one key idea and apply it today.
What's your favorite book that you think should be on this list? Hit reply and lmk!
PODCAST
How to Be Inspiring: Science-Backed Strategies from the World’s #1 Expert
I do a podcast to help you become a top 1% communicator. You should subscribe.
What's the difference between a leader who inspires and one who infuriates? This week's episode dives into that crucial question with Adam Galinsky, professor at Columbia Business School.
His new book “Inspire” is one of the best books on leadership in recent years imo. His TED Talk, “How to Speak Up for Yourself,” has been viewed millions of times.
Galinsky's research of two decades reveals a fascinating truth: leadership exists on a powerful continuum from inspiring to infuriating, and we all fall somewhere on it. He shares compelling stories and actionable insights to help you shift towards the "inspiring" end of the spectrum.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- Why the "born leader" is a myth: Adam shows that inspiration is a skill and not a trait.
- The building blocks of an inspiring leadership style: Galinsky discusses the key attributes that make leaders inspiring.
- How to inspire through action, not just words: Galinsky emphasizes what leaders do to inspire
I so enjoyed this conversation with Adam – he is that rare combination of top scientist and superb storyteller!
Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple.
FIRESIDE CHAT
Join Me and Kidnap-for-Ransom Negotiator Scott Walker
Scott is one of the world's most experienced kidnap-for-ransom and crisis negotiators and an expert on communicating effectively in times of uncertainty, conflict, and change.
He has helped to resolve more than 300 cases, including extortion, cyber-attacks, hijacking, maritime piracy, malicious product contamination and unlawful detention.
Plus: He was your favorite Speak Like a CEO podcast guest of 2024 when we talked about his bestselling debut book, Order Out of Chaos: A Kidnap Negotiator’s Guide to Influence and Persuasion.
Now he is back with his second book, Eye of The Storm: How to Make Good Decisions in Bad Situations, out next month.
Scott and I have teamed up for a fireside chat to discuss how to become a master communicator, have difficult conversations, negotiate better deals, emotionally self-regulate, influence and persuade others, leading without authority, and developing a resilient mindset.
Don’t miss this chance to experience Scott live and ask your toughest questions!
Sign up here
Have an inspired weekend!
Best,
Oliver
PS: Share this newsletter with your friends & colleagues here.