Messages: The Communications Skills Book, Edition 4

Matthew McKay · Martha Davis · Patrick Fanning

Aug 2018 · New Harbinger Publications

About this ebook

Many people assume that good communicators possess an intrinsic talent for speaking and listening to others, a gift that can’t be learned or improved. The reality is that communication skills are developed with deliberate effort and practice, and learning to understand others and communicate your ideas more clearly will improve every facet of your life.

Messages has already helped thousands of people build communication skills and cultivate better relationships with friends, family members, coworkers, and partners. With this fully revised and updated fourth edition, you’ll discover new skills to help you communicate your ideas more effectively and become a better listener. Learn how to:

• Read body language
• Develop skills for couples communication
• Negotiate and resolve conflicts
• Communicate with family members
• Handle group interactions
• Talk to children
• Master public speaking
• Prepare for job interviews

This new edition features a much-needed chapter on digital communication. Effective communication can easily be compromised when you’re not able to read your conversation partner’s body language, facial expression, or vocal tone. This chapter teaches you how to express yourself well via phone, email, texting, and video—all the skills you need to thrive in the digital age.

Ratings and reviews

The only thing that stops me from purchasing this for my brother who NEEDS so badly to learn these skills is I dont see anything in the description about boundaries, which is such a huge part in this kind of platform to recovery. I want nothing more than for my brother, who is the most amazing wonderful awesome person in the world and my best friend, to be able to have a voice without the concern of disappointing people, feeling selfish and guilty for having his own needs so they are ignored, and fearing that if he speaks/stands up for himself or cares for himself that he will be abandoned and despised the same as I was by our narcissistic mother and toxic family, so he gets walked all over and taken advantage of which has caused him to use alcoholism as his coping mechanism and he does everything for everybody else but never ever for himself, and if anyone deserves to be happy and have their needs met as well its him.

This is a fantastic book. I use it to navigate the minefield of workplace communication, and I refer back to it often for reference. A great addition to any bookshelf.

About the author

Matthew McKay, PhD, is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored and coauthored numerous books, including The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, When Anger Hurts, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. McKay received his PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression.

Patrick Fanning is a professional writer in the mental health field, and founder of a men’s support group in Northern California. He has authored and coauthored eight self-help books, including Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, Couple Skills, and Mind and Emotions.

Martha Davis, PhD, was a psychologist in the department of psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara, CA, where she practiced individual, couple, and group psychotherapy for more than thirty years prior to her retirement. She is coauthor of Thoughts and Feelings and The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook.