Review - Everyone Communicates Few Connect

John Maxwell knows how to connect with people. You might be thinking “Good for him, I sure don’t.” Yet if you’re considering this book, you know you want to be able to. Maxwell explains in a new book “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect” that “If you want to learn how to connect and thereby become more effective in everything you do, there’s good news. Even if connecting with others isn’t something you’re good at today, you can learn how to do it and become better tomorrow. And that’s why I wrote this book.”  Maxwell succeeds at his purpose in this very helpful and well-written book from Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Connecting doesn’t have to be a vague idea. Maxwell notes “Connecting is the ability to identify with people and relate to them in a way that increases your influence with them.” The good news, and the reason for the hope that we can improve at doing this, is that it’s not primarily about us, our skill or our personality. In fact, there’s a whole chapter on “Connecting is all about others.” Seeing this through his book was probably the key idea for me, though getting some practical ways to try to do this better was also great.

The book has two parts – the principles of connecting, and the practices of connecting. At the end of each chapter is a very helpful recap with the key concept of the chapter, and practical ideas for connecting one-to-one, in a group, and with an audience.

Table of Contents

Part I: Connecting Principles

1. Connecting Increases Your Influence in Every Situation

2. Connecting is All About Others

3. Connecting Goes Beyond Words

4. Connecting Always Requires Energy

5. Connecting Is More Skill Than Natural Talent

Part II: Connecting Practices

6. Connectors Connect On Common Ground

7. Connectors Do the Difficult Work of Keeping It Simple

8. Connectors Create An Experience Everyone Enjoys

9. Connectors Inspire People

10. Connectors Live What They Communicate

Conclusion

I enjoyed “Everyone Communicates” and hope I can put its wisdom into practice. I’ve certainly noticed over the years that as I focus less on me and how much I know, and more on who the other person is, what they need and what they think, that it’s been much easier to connect, as well as have a positive influence in their lives. If you want to have a greater impact in the lives of others, you would do well read to read "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently".

Disclaimer: I received a free review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publisher’s BookSneeze program, made comments on an online draft manuscript, and along with other commenters my name and photo are included in the book.