Communication is key. Effective communication is essential to standing out at work and excelling in your career. But when it comes to making a convincing point in a meeting, crafting the perfect email, or nailing a presentation, there's a lot to navigate. What kind of language do you use with a varied audience? Which channel is best for which message? How much do body language and Zoom backgrounds matter? And what should you not say? Writing, Presenting, and Communicating with Confidence is filled with practical advice from HBR experts that can help you answer questions such as: How can I prepare for the most difficult conversations? What can I do to improve my writing? What strategies can I use to overcome my anxiety about public speaking? How can I boost my presence and influence through persuasive communication? Writing, speaking, and communicating with confidence can be intimidating. This book gives you the tools to stand out and deliver your message more successfully. Rise faster with quick reads, real-life stories, and expert advice. The HBR Work Smart Series features the topics that matter to you most in your early career, including being yourself at work, collaborating with (sometimes difficult) colleagues and bosses, managing your mental health, and weighing major job decisions. Each title includes chapter recaps and links to video, audio, and more. The HBR Work Smart Series books are your practical guides to stepping into your professional life and moving forward with confidence.

You have to talk with a colleague about a fraught situation, but you're worried that they'll yell, or blame you, or shut down. You fear your emotions could block you from a resolution. But you can communicate in a way that's constructive--not combative. Difficult Conversations walks you through: Uncovering the root cause of friction Maintaining a positive mind-set Untangling the problem together Agreeing on a way forward Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives--from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.

Be the boss people want to work for. Being a manager is no easy task. You must measure and track your team members' performance toward goals and objectives while also providing opportunities for growth and development. You have to be empathetic to your team's needs and concerns while also maintaining your authority. How do you navigate these tensions? People, Performance, and Succeeding as a Manager is filled with practical advice from HBR experts who can help you answer these and other questions like: How do I earn the trust of my team? When and how should I deliver constructive feedback? What's the best way to motivate my employees? How can I take care of myself so I don't burn out? This book will help you figure out what kind of manager you want to be so that you can feel comfortable in your role, encourage the success of your people, and grow in your own career. Rise faster with quick reads, real-life stories, and expert advice. The HBR Work Smart Series features the topics that matter to you most in your early career, including being yourself at work, collaborating with (sometimes difficult) colleagues and bosses, managing your mental health, and weighing major job decisions. Each title includes chapter recaps and links to video, audio, and more. The HBR Work Smart Series books are your practical guides to stepping into your professional life and moving forward with confidence.

Command the room--whether you're speaking to an audience of one or one hundred. If you read nothing else on public speaking and presenting, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you find your voice, persuade your listeners, and connect with audiences of any size. This book will inspire you to: Win hearts and minds--and approval for your ideas Conquer your nerves and speak with confidence Focus your message so that people really listen Establish trust with your audience by being your authentic self Use data and visuals to persuade more effectively Master the art of storytelling This collection of articles includes "How to Give a Killer Presentation," by Chris Anderson; "How to Become an Authentic Speaker," by Nick Morgan; "Storytelling That Moves People: A Conversation with Screenwriting Coach Robert McKee," by Bronwyn Fryer; "Connect, Then Lead," by Amy J.C. Cuddy, Matthew Kohut, and John Neffinger; "The Necessary Art of Persuasion," by Jay A. Conger; "The Science of Pep Talks," by Daniel McGinn; "Get the Boss to Buy In," by Susan J. Ashford and James R. Detert; "The Organizational Apology," by Maurice E. Schweitzer, Alison Wood Brooks, and Adam D. Galinsky; "What's Your Story?” by Herminia Ibarra and Kent Lineback; "Visualizations That Really Work," by Scott Berinato; and "Structure Your Presentation Like a Story," by Nancy Duarte. HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

DON'T LET YOUR WRITING HOLD YOU BACK. When you're fumbling for words and pressed for time, you might be tempted to dismiss good business writing as a luxury. But it's a skill you must cultivate to succeed: You'll lose time, money, and influence if your e-mails, proposals, and other important documents fail to win people over. The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, by writing expert Bryan A. Garner, gives you the tools you need to express your ideas clearly and persuasively so clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and partners will get behind them. This book will help you: Push past writer's block Grab--and keep--readers' attention Earn credibility with tough audiences Trim the fat from your writing Strike the right tone Brush up on grammar, punctuation, and usage Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Craft winning business plans and get buy in for your ideas. A well-crafted business plan generates enthusiasm for your idea and boosts your odds of success—whether you're proposing a new initiative within your organization or starting an entirely new company. Creating Business Plans quickly walks you through the basics. You'll learn to: Present your idea clearly Develop sound financial plans Project risks—and rewards Anticipate and address your audience's concerns Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives—from the most trusted source in business.

The right visual revealed at the right time can turn an unremarkable presentation into a resonant, emotional experience. This two-book collection provides you with the tools you need to craft and deliver presentations that will impress your audience, increase your influence in your organization, and advance your career. Good Charts: The HBR Guide to Making Smarter, More Persuasive Data Visualizations shows how a good visualization can communicate the nature and potential impact of information and ideas more powerfully than any other form of communication. For a long time "dataviz" was left to specialists--data scientists and professional designers. No longer. A new generation of tools and massive amounts of available data make it easy for anyone to create visualizations that communicate ideas far more effectively than generic spreadsheet charts ever could. What's more, building good charts is quickly becoming a need-to-have skill for managers. If you're not doing it, other managers are, and they're getting noticed for it and getting credit for contributing to your company's success. In Good Charts, dataviz maven Scott Berinato provides an essential guide to how visualization works and how to use this new language to impress and persuade. Dataviz today is where spreadsheets and word processors were in the early 1980s—on the cusp of changing how we work. Berinato lays out a system for thinking visually and building better charts through a process of talking, sketching, and prototyping. This book is much more than a set of static rules for making visualizations. It taps into both well-established and cutting-edge research in visual perception and neuroscience, as well as the emerging field of visualization science, to explore why good charts (and bad ones) create "feelings behind our eyes." Along the way, Berinato also includes many engaging vignettes of dataviz pros, illustrating the ideas in practice. Good Charts will help you turn plain, uninspiring charts that merely present information into smart, effective visualizations that powerfully convey ideas. HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations will teach you to how to take the pain out of presentations. Terrified of speaking in front of a group? Or simply looking to polish your skills? No matter where you are on the spectrum, this guide will give you the confidence and the tools you need to get results. Written by presentation expert Nancy Duarte, the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations will help you: (1) Win over tough crowds, (2) Organize a coherent narrative, (3) Create powerful messages and visuals, (4) Connect with and engage your audience, (5) Show people why your ideas matter to them, and (6) Strike the right tone, in any situation.