Relationship Communication Skills

Discover the powerful way to transform your relationships with friends, loved ones, and even coworkers, with proven strategies that you can put to work immediately on improving the way you communicate with anyone in any environment.

Most of us are familiar with the three Fs of trauma—flight, fight, or freeze. But psychologists have identified a fourth, extremely common (yet little-understood) response: fawning. Often conflated with “codependency” or “people pleasing,” fawning occurs when we inexplicably draw closer to a person or relationship that causes pain, rather than pulling away. The good news: we can break the pattern of chronic fawning for good, once we see it for the trauma response it is.

Relationships are usually the most important part of a person’s life. But they’re often stressful and frustrating, or simply awkward, distant, and lonely. We feel the weight of things unsaid, needs unmet, conflicts unresolved. It’s easy to feel stuck.

Timothy R. Levine’s Duped: Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception recounts a decades-long program of empirical research that culminates in a new theory of deception-truth-default theory. This theory holds that the content of incoming communication is typically and uncritically accepted as true, and most of the time, this is good. Truth-default allows humans to function socially.

From open floor plans and Zoom calls to Slack channels, the workplace has changed a lot over the years. But there’s one thing that never changes: You’ll always encounter jerks. Jerks at Work is the definitive guide to dealing with - and ultimately breaking free from - the overbearing bosses, irritating coworkers, and all-around difficult people who make work and life miserable.

Why is it so hard to change problem behavior - in our kids, our colleagues, and even ourselves? Conventional methods often backfire, creating a downward spiral of resentment and frustration, and a missed opportunity for growth. What if the thinking behind these old methods is wrong? What if people don’t misbehave because they want to, but because they lack the skills to do better? Or as renowned psychologist J. Stuart Ablon asks, what if changing problem behavior is a matter of skill, not will?

What if you could see through every manipulation, control any interaction, and reverse psychological tactics before they control you? This book is not just theory — it’s a highly restricted, tactical playbook designed to expose the most advanced influence strategies used by powerful leaders, master persuaders, and elite manipulators.

Up to 40% of people consider themselves shy. You might say you're introverted or awkward, or that you're fine around friends but just can't speak up in a meeting or at a party. Maybe you're usually confident but have recently moved or started a new job, only to feel isolated and unsure. If you get nervous in social situations - meeting your partner's friends, public speaking, standing awkwardly in the elevator with your boss - you've probably been told, "Just be yourself!" But that's easier said than done - especially if you're prone to social anxiety.

Rather than eating your words or running from confrontation, learn to communicate confidently and listen empathetically with the help of Dr. Faith G. Harper, bestselling author of Unf*ck Your Brain and Unf*ck Your Intimacy. In this no-nonsense guide, you’ll find conversational templates, guidance for setting boundaries, and tips for talking effectively at home, at work, at school, in everyday encounters, and even with social services and other bureaucratic entities—all of which form a handy toolkit for successful communication.

Most women are very surprised when a man becomes distant, when he's afraid to commit, or, worse, when he just stops calling and runs away. It’s time to use the secrets of the male mind, and learn about men and what scares them away.

From this audiobook, you will learn a simple, step-by-step system for establishing an enjoyable, long-term, low-drama, low-cost, open or nonmonogamous relationship with any type of woman, and without having to lie or lead her on. Taken from over a decade of experience, scores of long-term serious and casual relationships, and detailed scientific tracking and analysis of both his own results and men who have successfully done this all over the world, Blackdragon shows you exactly how to do it, step-by-step. The system is proven and it works. It will work for you.

Tired of feeling awkward or unsure in social settings? The Power of Connection will transform your social skills, helping you build meaningful relationships with ease. Unlike most self-help books that feel like a lecture, this one is like chatting with a friend—full of humor, real talk, and advice that’ll make you laugh while you learn. Get ready to boost your social interactions, conquer loneliness, and build lasting confidence, one genuine connection at a time.

Public speaking is one of the most intimidating and important aspects of many jobs. Speaking up with Confidence is an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to write and deliver a speech that people will listen to and remember.

Award-winning professor, management consultant, and virtual communications expert Andrew Brodsky is here to tell you that, yes, that meeting could have been an email. And that email? Maybe it should have been a voice note (really!). And your camera—it’s okay to turn it off; sometimes it’s even better. If you’re crushed under the weight of your inbox or exhausted from back-to-back-to-back video calls, then Ping is here to help workers at all levels and of all stripes—remote, hybrid, and in person—who use communication technologies as part of their jobs.

In 1979, Loretta Ross was a single mother who’d had to drop out of Howard University. She was working at Washington, DC’s Rape Crisis Center when she got a letter from a man in prison saying he wanted to learn how to not be a rapist anymore. At first, she was furious. As a survivor of sexual violence, she wanted to write back pouring out her rage. But instead, she made a different choice, a choice to reject the response her trauma was pushing her towards, a choice that set her on the path towards developing a philosophy that would come to guide her whole career.

Our increasingly interconnected, digitized, and globalized world presents immense opportunities and unique challenges. Modern businesses and schools interact with individuals and organizations from a diverse range of cultural and national backgrounds - increasing the likelihood for miscommunication, errors in strategy, and unintended consequences in the process. Use Your Difference to Make a Difference provides listeners with a skills-based, actionable plan that transforms differences into agents of inclusiveness, connection, and mutual understanding.

Are you with the one you love, but struggling with the “happily ever after” part? Do you feel trapped in old cycles that you can’t seem to break free of? Are you desperate to find your way back to one another? I’ve been there, and I know how hopeless and painful it can feel. But as crazy as it sounds, rock bottom can be the perfect foundation onto which to build something beautiful. In this workbook, you’ll start exactly where you are, as the unique couple you are.

Better Vocabulary in 30 Minutes a Day offers a lively and entertaining method for adding a more impressive list of words to your everyday speech, and for learning how to use them effortlessly and accurately. Besides giving definitions, this invaluable guide also provides root meanings and elements of words so you can increase your vocabulary base by thousands of exciting new words and use them with aplomb in sentences.

Conversation is getting harder. We’re feeling more isolated. Loneliness is becoming an epidemic. The Six Conversations: Pathways to Connecting Again in an Age of Isolation and Incivility reflects one of the deepest passions of Dr. Heather Holleman’s heart: to connect people in loving community.

In Mastering Civility, Christine Porath shows how people can enhance their influence and effectiveness with civility. Combining scientific research with fascinating evidence from popular culture and fields such as neuroscience, medicine, and psychology, this audiobook provides managers and employers with a much-needed wake-up call, while also reminding them of what they can do right now to improve the quality of their workplaces.