Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age

By Sherry Turkle

If I told you there was a book on a topic that is important to anyone who wanted to communicate more effectively and build better relationships, that would offer solid suggestions, challenge your way of thinking, and change the way you see everyday interaction . . . would you be interested?

If you are, get this book.

This is the newest book from renowned media researcher Sherry Turkle. She brings curiosity, interviews and great research together to help us see how conversation is fading as a skill as we increasingly rely on texting and social media and other asynchronous forms of communication.

I learned a lot about the trends related to the proliferation of many of these communication media; though my largest insights didn’t come from that. They came from the pervasiveness of the changes in how we think about communication and relationships as the use of these tools literally change both of these things significantly.

If you are “my age” and think this is just about the millennials and younger, don’t be so sure. While I definitely learned some things, and those things have helped me see the communication strategies of younger folks differently, those over thirty are not immune from some of the challenges.

I’ll admit that parts of this book made me feel a bit pessimistic about the future, but the book provides suggestions and clues for stemming the tide of change in your life and with the important ones in it.

More importantly, it shows that when we put the time and effort into becoming a more effective communicator and creating real conversation, we can become even more effective and persuasive. While this has always been true; it is perhaps more true now than ever and this book helped me see this.

It took me awhile to read and digest this book – not because it was hard to read, but because there was much to ponder and think about. I view this as one of the most important books I read in 2015; and once you buy your copy (and read it), I believe you will say the same at the end of this year.