Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World
Sally Susman
Harvard Business Review Press (March 2023)

“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”  Oscar Wilde

As I began to read this book, I was reminded of another, Experiential Intelligence (2023), in which Soren Kaplan explains, “Experiential Intelligence, or XO for short, is your combination of mindsets, abilities, and knowledge, gained from your unique life experience. Just like memorizing facts doesn’t give you a high IQ, your Experiential Intelligence isn’t merely what you’ve learned over time. It’s how you perceive challenges, view opportunities, and tackle your goals. Your XQ includes the beliefs and attitudes you hold about yourself, other people, and the world in general, along with the unique abilities that you’ve developed that make you, you.” It is very helpful to keep this in mind when communicating with others to “open minds, move their hearts, and change the world.”

Long ago, Theodore Roosevelt observed, “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” The most recent major studies of both employee and customer relations indicate that, when asked what is of greatest importance to them, [begin itaics] feeling appreciated [end italics] is ranked at or near the top of the list.

In the Preface, Sally Susman explains that the ten principles she affirms in this book are universal. “They have been honed through study, trial, and error, and from observing people who’ve influenced and inspired me, some of whom you will hear from in this book, such as the former American Express chairman and chief executive officer, Ken Chenault; the firstRepublican White House press secretary, Dana Perino; and a world-class restaurateur and hospitality guru, Danny Meyer. While my path to developing these principles was unique, I am convinced they’re essential for all of us who strive” to achieve specific objectives such as those cited on Page xvii.

Here are the ten principles:

1. Channel your attention
2. Musterthe courage for candor
3. Stay curious, be creative
4. The strength of being gracious and kind
5. Take tie to pause and prepare
6. Perfect your pitch
7. Disarm with humility, empower with truth
8. Delight with humor
9. Reflect and honor
10. Seek harmony

Susman devotes a separate chapter to each in which she explains both WHY and HOW each helps to achieve the given communication breakthrough.

She also provides specifics about many of the basic components of the four levels of discourse: exposition, description, narration, and argumentation. For example, the basics of pitch. That is, in a leadership and communication context: “I’s the tenor, word choices, and attitude we bring to any human encounter. It’s a striking of the right chords that allow us to reach and relate to one another more profoundly.” Here are eight basic elements of pitch:

1. It’s as simple as a smile.
2. A positive attitude is essential.
3. Never talk down to people.
4. Mind the gap.
5. Align communications with corporate culture.
6. Locate your unique voice, tone, and cadence.
7. Be conversational.
8. End on a high note.

All are discussed in detail on Pages 101-109.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out three others: Michelle Obama’s Becoming (2018) and The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times (2022) as well as Ginni Rometty’s Good Power: Leading Positive Change in OurLives, Work, and World (2023).

Here are two concluding suggestions: Highlight key passages, and, keep a lined notebook near at hand in order to record your comments, questions, and page references as well as responses to the suggestions and recommendations that are inserted throughout the book’s lively and eloquent narrative. These two simple tactics will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of the most important material later.