Duhigg, Charles

"We all know people who seem capable of connecting with almost anyone. They are the ones we turn to for advice, the ones who ask deep questions but also seem to hear what we are trying to say. What do they know about conversation that makes them so special? And what can they tell us about how communication really works? Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg argues, understand--some by intuition, some by hard-won experience--that there is a science to how human beings connect through words. They understand that whenever we speak, we're actually participating in one of three distinct conversations: What is this really about? How do we feel? And who are we? They know the importance of recognizing--and then matching--each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations and hidden beliefs that color and inform everything we say. Our pasts, our values, our affiliations-our identities-shape every discussion we have, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work"--Provided by publisher.

Discusses how habits can shape behaviors and decisions in life and business. Demonstrates real-world examples of this principle in action and explains how habits form and how they can be changed to the benefit of the reader.

A group of data scientists at Google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function, and find that how a group interacts is much more important than who is in the group. A Marine Corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot camp -- and discovers that instilling a 'bias toward action' can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers. The filmmakers behind Disney's Frozen are on the brink of catastrophe -- until they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. What do these people have in common? They know that productivity relies on making certain choices. The way we frame our daily decisions; the big ambitions we embrace and the easy goals we ignore; the cultures we establish as leaders to drive innovation: these are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.

Charles Duhigg, business reporter for the "New York Times," discusses the science behind habits and explains how habits work, why they exist, and how a person can endeavor to change their nature.