Books like Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds

01

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Chip Heath and Dan Heath · Psychology

Made to Stick is Chip and Dan Heath's investigation into why some ideas take hold in people's minds and spread while others, equally true and well-reasoned, vanish the moment the conversation ends.

Shares storytelling and communication with Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds.

02

Start with Why

Simon Sinek · Business

Start with Why is Simon Sinek's argument that the most influential leaders and organizations in history didn't succeed because they made better products or ran smarter campaigns.

Both dig into communication.

03

Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Jonah Berger · Business

Contagious is Jonah Berger's analysis of why certain products, ideas, and stories spread through word of mouth while others, equally good or better, remain obscure.

A kindred self-help read.

04

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Robert B. Cialdini · Psychology

Influence is Robert Cialdini's account of why people say yes, and how that agreement is manufactured.

Both dig into persuasion.

05

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie · Self-help

How to Win Friends and Influence People is Dale Carnegie's 1936 guide to dealing with people effectively.

Shares communication and persuasion with Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds.

06

Never Split the Difference

Chris Voss · Business

Never Split the Difference is Chris Voss's argument that the rational, compromise-based negotiation frameworks taught in business schools miss something fundamental about how people actually make decisions.

Shares communication and persuasion with Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds.

07

Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade

Robert B. Cialdini · Psychology

Robert Cialdini spent decades studying the principles of persuasion that animate Influence, his 1984 masterwork.

Shares communication and persuasion with Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds.

08

To Sell Is Human

Daniel H. Pink · Business

To Sell Is Human is Daniel Pink's case that selling — in the broad sense of moving people to think or act differently — is central to what most of us do at work every day, whether or not our job title includes the word "sales." Drawing on Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Pink estimates that Americans spend roughly 40% of their work time in non-sales selling: persuading, convincing, and nudging.

Shares communication and persuasion with Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds.

09

You Can Negotiate Anything

Herb Cohen · Business

You Can Negotiate Anything is Herb Cohen's argument that negotiation is not a special skill reserved for diplomats and dealmakers but a basic life competence exercised continuously — in salary conversations, purchases, relationships, and workplace conflicts.

Shares communication and persuasion with Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds.

10

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler · Self-help

Crucial Conversations is a book about what to do when the stakes are high, emotions run strong, and opinions diverge.

Both dig into communication.

11

Design Is Storytelling

Ellen Lupton · Self-help

Design Is Storytelling is Ellen Lupton's compact guide to narrative thinking as a design skill.

Both dig into communication.

12

Nonviolent Communication

Marshall B. Rosenberg · Self-help

Nonviolent Communication is Marshall Rosenberg's framework for communicating in ways that preserve connection and address needs rather than triggering defensiveness.

Both dig into communication.