Hi folks, I’m an engineer and my communication of technical topics is usually too wordy and complicated; often times my audience can get lost in my over-explanation of details.
I am looking for books that will help me make my written and spoken communication more crisp.
Thanks in advance
by redbeanpanda
2 Comments
Carl Sagan (astronomer) used to talk about this. Sabine Hossenfelder (physicist) also comments on this topic. Somewhere in my reading history is a book about STEM authors writing for the general public. It’s going to take me a bit to remember who wrote it.
In the meantime, here are a few books from a slightly different perspective. I love books about grammar. Not just the old days of diagramming sentences, but interesting twists on what could be a sterile subject. Funny, insightful, useful. Here are my absolute favorites…
*Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen* –Mary Norris
*Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style* –Benjamin Dryer
*Words on the Move: Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like, Literally)* –John McWhorter
*Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries* –Kory Stamper
*Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language* –Amanda Montell
>Hi folks, I’m an engineer that and my communication of technical topics is usually too wordy and complicated; often times my audience can get lost in my over-explanation of details.
>I am looking for books that will help me make my written and spoken communication more crisp.
Congrats on wanting to level-up your communication skills. It’s a worthy endeavor that pays off in more ways than you think.
###Communication Books
*No One Understands You and What to Do About It* by Heidi Grant Halvorson
*Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story* by Randy Olson
*Let the Story Do the Work* by Esther K. Choy
*The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation* by Brant Pinvidic
*Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die* by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
*The Tall Lady With the Iceberg: The Power of Metaphor to Sell, Persuade & Explain Anything to Anyone* by Anne Miller
###Extra Credit
*Draw to Win: A Crash Course on How to Lead, Sell, and Innovate With Your Visual Mind* by Dan Roam
*Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down* by John P. Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead
*Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You* by Heidi Grant Halvorson
###Next Level
*Set Your Voice Free: How to Get the Singing or Speaking Voice You Want* by Roger Love – Consider getting the audiobook version too so you can listen and follow along with the vocal exercises.
*Casual Power: How to Power Up Your Nonverbal Communication & Dress Down for Success* by Sherry Maysonave
*Executive Presence 2.0* by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
###Boss Level
*The Turn-On: How the Powerful Make Us Like Them-from Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood* by Steven Goldstein
*You Are the Message: Getting What You Want by Being Who You Are* by Roger Ailes
Hope this helps.