This review is part of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze program. Have a blog? Like free books? Check this out.

I’d never heard of John C. Maxwell (I probably have, but I didn’t remember), and I didn’t like the cover. Such was my first impression. But I wanted something out of my normal genre to read (check) and because – I sighed to myself – I’m in a leadership position and I could be a lot better at it. Such was my motivation.

Because everybody knows that leadership books are all boring, and are all saying essentially the same thing. Everybody knows that if/when you actually finish even a good leadership book you (1) don’t remember most of it because there was so much of it to begin with, and (2) have little opportunity or idea how to actually apply it to your life. Thus, in the end, you’ve read a good book full of good ideas and only been bored because of it.

Not this book. I read two-thirds of this book in the first sitting. It’s entertaining, captivating, and organized really well.

Everyone Communicates looks and feels like another leadership manual, but it’s really all about good communication. And whether or not you’re a leader, you need to be able to communicate with people. In fact, part of what takes someone from being a worker bee to a leader is the ability to really connect with other people. This book is for you – who ever you are.

Furthermore, Maxwell breaks each communication strategy (to take you from someone who merely communicates to someone who really connects with people) down into three basic types of relationships in which you may need to apply it. He discusses each idea in the context of one-on-one communication, small-group communication, and large audience communication. Again: This book is for you – who ever you are.

My favorite part is that at the end of each chapter there’s a short outline. The last few pages quickly review (1) the principle discussed, (2) the key concept, (3) how to use it one-on-one, (4) how to use it in a group, and (5) how to use it with an audience. The stories that fill the pages of each chapter will keep you interested and breezing through the book. Then, when you need to actually use the ideas later, the last two or three pages are there to remind you, sans fluff.

I’m keeping this one within arms reach at all times.

What are you reading lately? Should we check it out?