Beginner
Communication in Practice
Start: Begin with Chapter 4: Listening, then Chapter 13: Public Speaking I.
English · Complete university PDF; approximately 44 MB.
Communication, collaboration & leadership
Communication
Explain clearly, listen carefully and check that the other person has understood your meaning.
How to learn
Identify the purpose and audience
Write one sentence stating who needs to know or do what. Consider what that person already knows.
Put the main point first
Use main point → necessary reason or example → next action. Make dates, quantities and responsibilities explicit.
Listen and check
Summarise your partner’s meaning in your own words. Revise it if corrected; do not treat an assumption as a fact.
Revise once using feedback
Ask someone to read your message and explain the required action. Rewrite the part they could not understand.
Books & guides
Beginner
Exploring Public Speaking, edition 4.2
Start: Start with The Basics of Public Speaking; outline a short speech.
English · Complete edition 4.2 from the authors’ site.
Beginner
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Start: Start with listening and taking an interest in others; try one idea in a real conversation.
Bengali print edition · Purchase required.
Intermediate
Organizational Behavior
Start: Start with Chapter 11, section 11.1; compare it with one unclear message of your own.
English · Free online textbook; print copies are separate
Put it into practice
Research & frameworks
Courses & resources
University of Minnesota — Communication in Practice (opens in a new tab)English · Complete open textbook, 2025; CC BY 4.0.
Start: Read Chapter 4: Listening and compare it with a conversation of your own.
MIT OCW — Listening and the Power of Inquiry (opens in a new tab)English · Free lecture notes/PDF
Start: Open Lecture 6’s Download File; write two questions to try in your next conversation.
OpenStax — The Process of Managerial Communication (opens in a new tab)English · Free online textbook; print copies are separate
Start: Read Encoding and Decoding, Feedback and Noise.