Fans pick 90 books like Speak Influence Sell

By Elliot Kay,

Here are 90 books that Speak Influence Sell fans have personally recommended if you like Speak Influence Sell. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of NLP at Work: The Difference that Makes the Difference

Karen Falconer Author Of The NLP Professional: Your Future in NLP

From my list on Neuro Linguistic Programming and what it’s about.

Why am I passionate about this?

My Father was a solicitor (lawyer) in the UK and a consummate professional. He inspired me in my formative years and guides my values and beliefs to this day. Professionalism has, therefore, been my guiding star. Since 2005, my focus and driver have been to give a framework of Professionalism to the unregulated field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which I believe in passionately. The books I have chosen for this list echo this passion…for making NLP accessible and credible and expressed in such simple terms with powerful, inspirational, and research-backed concepts and teachings. They continue to help shape my world, and I hope they can inspire you, too!

Karen's book list on Neuro Linguistic Programming and what it’s about

Karen Falconer Why did Karen love this book?

This was the first NLP book I read! It is so easy to understand and so relevant to using NLP in the workplace. I love the language used to describe the application of NLP in the work environment and life, and it describes NLP itself in clear terms. 

Applying the information in this book to my work situation at the time made a huge difference in how I interacted with my clients. This book is one of the best examples of effective language, using simple terms and fabulous examples and metaphors. It was a great starting point for me on my NLP journey.

By Sue Knight,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked NLP at Work as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'This book may help you to understand life more clearly' Paul Smith, fashion designer

Welcome to THE book on NLP. The essence of NLP is the ability to study and reproduce excellence in yourself and to support others to do the same. NLP AT WORK helps you do that by developing an attitude of curiosity, naivety and learning - and giving you the ability to improvise with skill in real-time.

Neuro Linguistic Programming is how you make sense of your world and, most importantly, how you make it what you want it to be:

* Neuro: the way you filter…


Book cover of Building a Storybrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

Ray Edwards Author Of How to Write Copy That Sells: The Step-By-Step System for More Sales, to More Customers, More Often

From my list on marketing your business or brand.

Why am I passionate about this?

I know it's kind of weird, but I have been fascinated by the world of direct-response marketing ever since I first saw the full-page ads in the "newspapers" my grandmother loved to read (The National Inquirer and the Weekly World News). Those ads fascinated me because, at first, I thought they were stories in the newspaper. That was my first exposure to the work of the brilliant Eugene Schwartz. I used to check our mail so I could grab all the "junk mail" that everyone else threw away because that's the only mail I wanted to read. That's why I became a direct-response copywriter.

Ray's book list on marketing your business or brand

Ray Edwards Why did Ray love this book?

The first time I read this book, it hit me like a bolt of lightning. This simple book about how to state your marketing message clearly in a way that makes people decide they must buy your product or service is revolutionary.

Lots of people talk about "telling stories" as a powerful form of communication and persuasion. But Don is the only person I know who does a great job giving you the practical, hands-on, how-to approach so that you can actually do this for yourself. This is a book I reread at least once a year.

By Donald Miller,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Building a Storybrand as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

More than half-a-million business leaders have discovered the power of the StoryBrand Framework, created by New York Times bestselling author and marketing expert Donald Miller. And they are making millions.

If you use the wrong words to talk about your product, nobody will buy it. Marketers and business owners struggle to effectively connect with their customers, costing them and their companies millions in lost revenue.

In a world filled with constant, on-demand distractions, it has become near-impossible for business owners to effectively cut through the noise to reach their customers, something Donald Miller knows first-hand. In this book, he shares…


Book cover of Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds

Jose Ucar Author Of Global Influence: How business leaders can simplify, improve, and amplify their international impact

From my list on supercharging your communication skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I first started traveling at 16, I struggled. It's not always easy to learn a new language, adapt to a different culture, and build connections. But as I got more comfortable and confident navigating through my new environment, things started to improve. I know what it’s like to start from scratch, to move to a new country, to develop and use my communication skills to move up the business ladder. This is why I now use my experience to speak, train, and coach people from a variety of countries and cultures on how to become impactful communicators, and have written a book on the importance of global communication skills. 

Jose's book list on supercharging your communication skills

Jose Ucar Why did Jose love this book?

This book has added great value to my public speaking career. Gallo's insights into TED speakers' techniques have improved my presentations into engaging, memorable experiences. Particularly impactful were the strategies on storytelling and the 18-minute rule, which have empowered me to connect with audiences more effectively.

This book is more than about speaking; it's a guide to making your ideas resonate. Gallo's practical advice has given me more tools to deliver presentations that spark interest and inspire action. It is an essential tool for anyone looking to elevate their communication skills.

By Carmine Gallo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Talk Like Ted as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Learn the public-speaking secrets of the world's top minds

Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. In order to succeed, you need to be able to sell your ideas persuasively. This ability is the single greatest skill that will help you accomplish your dreams. TED Talks have redefined the elements of a successful presentation and become the gold standard for public speaking. TED―which stands for technology, entertainment, and design―brings together the world's leading thinkers. These are the presentations that set the world on fire, and the techniques that top TED speakers use will make any presentation more dynamic, fire…


Book cover of Energize: Make the Most of Every Moment

Jose Ucar Author Of Global Influence: How business leaders can simplify, improve, and amplify their international impact

From my list on supercharging your communication skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I first started traveling at 16, I struggled. It's not always easy to learn a new language, adapt to a different culture, and build connections. But as I got more comfortable and confident navigating through my new environment, things started to improve. I know what it’s like to start from scratch, to move to a new country, to develop and use my communication skills to move up the business ladder. This is why I now use my experience to speak, train, and coach people from a variety of countries and cultures on how to become impactful communicators, and have written a book on the importance of global communication skills. 

Jose's book list on supercharging your communication skills

Jose Ucar Why did Jose love this book?

Simon Alexander Ong's book has improved my approach to managing my energy, a skill that’s essential to communicating effectively. Ong's insights into optimizing daily rhythms and setting boundaries have improved my productivity and well-being. His practical steps for silencing the inner critic and focusing on health have been especially impactful, leading to a more energized and fulfilling life.

This book is a must-read for anyone looking to boost their energy levels and achieve their potential in today's fast-paced world, as you’ll communicate most effectively when you are completely energized and in rhythm. This book is not just a guide; it's the key to unlocking a more vibrant and purposeful life.

By Simon Alexander Ong,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Energize as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the 2023 Business Book Award for Wellness and Wellbeing

'This book is exactly what we need in this moment. With so many pulls and strains and stresses, Simon offers us simple steps for every one of us to indeed energize!' Simon Sinek, optimist and New York Times bestselling author of Start With Why

'Learning how to manage your energy changes your life. Don't just read this book, do it!' Marie Forleo, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Everything is Figureoutable

Your energy is everything: it is the fuel that drives your success and it gives you…


Book cover of Kabinett & Kammer: Creating Authentic Interiors

Joanna Maclennan Author Of The Foraged Home

From my list on inspiring creating your own unique home or space.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am mainly known as an Interiors Photographer and although accidentally falling into photographing Interiors, it has become a passion, always interested in the story these places tell and alongside my husband we have built our own home creating a unique space using recuperated materials. As part of my work, I am always looking for interesting and inspirational books and places. It is how I train my eye, drawn to the unusual. I am as happy photographing a chateau in Provence as I am in a small and remote cabin in Norway. 

Joanna's book list on inspiring creating your own unique home or space

Joanna Maclennan Why did Joanna love this book?

This book is one of my most recent purchases. I really love Sean Scherer’s style and it speaks to both myself and my husband.

The photography is great in this book and Sean has a wonderful eye for detail. It’s a feast for the eyes. It has that ‘cabinet de curiosité’ style and so many details I want to keep looking at. I have visited the Catskills area and this book certainly makes me want to go back there again. It is a well-thought-out and inspiring book.

By Sean Scherer, William Abranowicz (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kabinett & Kammer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Interior designer, artist, and collector Sean Scherer shares his secrets about applying the principles of two-dimensional art to home design

Sean Scherer’s Kabinett & Kammeris equally a celebration and a guide to both collecting and showing how lively design can integrate disparate objects into beautifully layered ensembles. Scherer’s interiors feature vintage display cabinets housing discarded collections of whittled songbirds, stunning 19th-century maps and school teaching aids, ferns in cast-iron planters, and photomurals. The effect is a supercharged nod to American Gothic heightened by Scherer’s sophisticated palette and sense of proportion. Each photograph by William Abranowicz is a lesson on color…


Book cover of The Last September

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an Irish historian and biographer living in London and have always been fascinated by the confused attitudes that bedevil the relationship between Ireland and England. Educated in Ireland and the USA, I came to teach at the University of London in 1974, a period when IRA bombings had penetrated the British mainland. In 1991, I moved to Oxford and taught there for twenty-five years. As I constantly move between the two countries and watch my children growing up with English accents but Irish identities, I remain as fascinated as ever by the tensions, parallels, memories, and misunderstandings (often well-meaning) that prevail on both sides of the narrow Irish Sea.

Roy's book list on illuminating books about the turbulent relationship between Ireland and England

Roy Foster Why did Roy love this book?

Elizabeth Bowen once described the Ireland-England relationship as ‘a mixture of showing-off and suspicion, nearly as bad as sex’. Her 1928 novel demonstrates this beautifully, eviscerating the attitudes of  Anglo-Irish grandees in their Big House as the country around them crackles with guerilla war and showing the incomprehension between the Irish (at all social levels) and the British soldiers sent ostensibly to keep the peace.

Though it ends in tragedy, social comedy, as so often, shows the brutal realities beneath the surface. And the atmosphere of the Irish landscape, at once idyllic and brooding, comes alive in Bowen’s supercharged prose.

By Elizabeth Bowen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Last September as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Read Elizabeth Bowen's accessible feminist take on the Irish aristocracy

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY VICTORIA GLENDINNING

The Irish troubles rage, but up at the 'Big House', tennis parties, dances and flirtations with the English officers continue, undisturbed by the ambushes, arrests and burning country beyond the gates. Faint vibrations of discord reach the young girl Lois, who is straining for her own freedom, and she will witness the troubles surge closer and reach their irrevocable, inevitable climax.


Book cover of The New Arts Entrepreneur: Navigating the Arts Ecologies

Rich Holly Author Of Marjoring In Music: All the Stuff You Need to Know

From my list on supercharging your arts career.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I look back at my childhood, I can easily find examples of my mother grooming me for leadership – she taught me how to budget my money while I was in kindergarten, helped me understand contracts when I was in seventh grade, and so on. Little did I know how important those skills would be while navigating (first) the music world and later the world of all the arts. I’ve been fortunate enough to perform worldwide and serve in several noted arts leadership positions thanks to the guidance and support of several mentors, and I would love for all artists to have those same opportunities.

Rich's book list on supercharging your arts career

Rich Holly Why did Rich love this book?

Much like my previous recommendation, The New Arts Entrepreneur will help artists understand the items they need to consider and the steps they can take in order to move their career to the next level, whether their focus is an arts-related business endeavor or their own personal artistry.

By Gary Beckman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The New Arts Entrepreneur as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New Arts Entrepreneur is the first uniquely designed pedagogy for arts entrepreneurship educators and students. Melding an arts-first approach with understandable entrepreneurial concepts and newly formulated tools, the text helps arts students to envision themselves as an entrepreneurial CEO, not simply another random entrepreneur flailing through a maze of well-worn entrepreneurial suggestions that don't fit.

At the core of the text are the entrepreneurial ecologies of the arts. The ecologies provide a framework to envision an entrepreneurial horizon for almost any arts-based business, included those ventures seeking to impact the production of art. In addition to this revolutionary framework,…


Book cover of In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope

Leonard L. Berry Author Of Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic: Inside One of the World's Most Admired Service Organizations

From my list on enhancing kindness and dignity in healthcare.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a University Distinguished Professor at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University, and a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. I have devoted my career to studying service quality and ways to improve it, first in the commercial sector and, since 2001, in healthcare. I started my healthcare journey studying at the Mayo Clinic, and I have since done in-residence research at other health systems, most recently, Henry Ford Health in Detroit. My work includes research on improving the patient and family experience in cancer care. Kindness and dignity are vitally important in healthcare – and too often missing. I am on a personal mission to enhance healing in all its forms.

Leonard's book list on enhancing kindness and dignity in healthcare

Leonard L. Berry Why did Leonard love this book?

Oh, how I loved this book. It is the true story of her experience as a critical care physician at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital, becoming, in an instant, a critically ill patient. What captivates me is the beauty of the writing–it reads like a novel–and her bravery in writing it.

Cared for in her own hospital, she writes not only about how the medical staff saved her life but also how it often undermined her dignity, especially with the language used in her presence, such as, “She is circling the drain.” Dr. Awdish’s experience changed her as a physician; reading her story supercharged my passion for improving kindness and dignity in patient care.

By Rana Awdish,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked In Shock as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Tense, powerful and gripping... her writing style is often nothing short of beautiful - evocative and emotional.' Adam Kay, Observer

At seven months pregnant, intensive care doctor Rana Awdish suffered a catastrophic medical event, haemorrhaging nearly all of her blood volume and losing her first child. She spent months fighting for her life in her own hospital, enduring a series of organ failures and multiple major surgeries.

Every step of the way, Awdish was faced with something even more unexpected and shocking than her battle to survive: her fellow doctors' inability to see and acknowledge the pain of loss and…


Book cover of Inspector Colbeck’s Casebook

Jim Eldridge Author Of Murder at the Natural History Museum

From my list on by the greatest writers of crime fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved history, from ancient Egyptian times up to recent history (the 1950s and 1960s). Put history in the context of a crime and the history becomes even more fascinating. A book where the history of that time comes vividly alive for the reader is the greatest pleasure a reader can experience.

Jim's book list on by the greatest writers of crime fiction

Jim Eldridge Why did Jim love this book?

Edward Marston’s Railway Detective books, set in Victorian England and featuring Inspector Colbeck, have become under-the-wire best sellers internationally. This book features a dozen short stories where he and his sergeant investigate crimes happening in different railway companies. It is a wonderful introduction to the whole Railway Detective series and these short stories can be savored at leisure as a starter for the main course of the full-length novels.

By Edward Marston,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Inspector Colbeck’s Casebook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An eagerly awaited collection of brand new, specially commissioned short stories from the master of historical crime fiction Edward Marston, featuring his quick-witted Railway Detective, Inspector Robert Colbeck.

In this thrilling selection of stories, a young porter is found dead in a coal tub; Colbeck devises a trap to catch a thief; and a burnt train carriage holds a gruesome secret in a small coastal village. As Colbeck and his trusty aide Sergeant Victor Leeming begin to piece together clues and motives for each crime, it becomes clear the pair must stay a step ahead of the culprits to solve…


Book cover of The Art of Storytelling: Easy Steps to Presenting an Unforgettable Story

Margaret Read MacDonald Author Of Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling

From my list on storytelling for teachers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about the importance of telling stories in the classroom. My career has been as a children’s librarian in public libraries, but with much time spent telling stories in schools. My daughter and her husband followed in my footsteps as storytellers and found that using storytelling in the classroom has so many benefits. We all offer workshops for teachers, write articles encouraging storytelling, and try in any way possible to grow the corps of teachers who discover this joyful addition to the classroom.

Margaret's book list on storytelling for teachers

Margaret Read MacDonald Why did Margaret love this book?

This book is written specifically for those telling stories in religious settings. However, the advice on learning and presenting stories is so clearly and usefully presented, that I would suggest this as a good read for anyone hoping to share stories with children. If you are planning to tell stories in a religious setting, this is definitely your go-to book.

By John Walsh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Art of Storytelling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Can you captivate an audience with your story?

Many of us would love to hold the attention of a crowd, a classroom, or just a group of our friends by telling them a great story. We have felt the pressure of a public presentation or the disappointment of telling a story that others ignore. We are ready to be heard, ready to captivate.

In The Art of Storytelling, John Walsh takes us through the steps to presenting a compelling story—outlining the strategies that helped him move from stutterer to storyteller. This book will help any person with a story to…


Book cover of NLP at Work: The Difference that Makes the Difference
Book cover of Building a Storybrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
Book cover of Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in communication, leadership, and storytelling?

Communication 75 books
Leadership 407 books
Storytelling 127 books