Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles

I put this book to immediate use with an intercultural consult I did, with a company whose [mostly American] employees work with a very international clientele. The structure of adding contextual factors to the analysis of styles and values added a lot of depth to the discussion and people could really get it.

There are many books written about communications styles, but none quite like this one. Written by intercultural experts who are also educators, this book goes far beyond the basics of differences in how people communicate. It provides an organizational yet personal roadmap to get a real handle on diversity and how to create greater value from the collaboration of a diverse group of people. The book uses some unique observation tools to help the reader use the concepts being learned, and it is sprinkled full of stories that illustrate their points exceptionally well. Perhaps most unique though are the 26 exercises designed for use by individuals or groups to help them do what the subtitle of the book promises - Leverage the power of diverse communication styles. The authors, in the introduction say more about the very appropriate subtitle, "the subtitle ... reflects our conviction that individuals and groups can benefit greatly when communication style differences are understood, respected, and utilized appropriately." If you are a leader of diverse groups or a trainer of facilitator, this book belongs in your library. If you are individual ever striving to communicate more effectively with everyone you come in contact with, this book will help you on this journey as well.

I think this book makes an important contribution to the field of intercultural communication. It fleshes out the concept of communication style and emphasizes its importance in face-to-face intercultural interactions. The book's concepts are illustrated with interesting and detailed case studies from the authors' extensive experience with multicultural organizations. The concepts might be a bit complicated, but not so much so that serious readers can't absorb and use them. The authors use the engaging metaphor of a circus to tie their ideas together and help the reader follow the flow. This keeps the book from reading like a textbook; rather, it is engaging and thought-provoking throughout. Finally, I couldn't tell from the writing that this was a book written by three different individuals. It has a uniform style and tone that's not common in books written by more than one person.

I am an international consultant and usining this book as a training tool with my clients. The stories and circus metaphors are very creative and interesting. This makes the book not only a tool I can use for work but also an enjoyable read.