Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome the Four Hidden Challenges

Confront the psychological blocks that are holding you back--and become a fearless and peerless communicator.

Winner of the 2023 PenCraft Best Book Award for Nonfiction, 2023 Nonprofit Authors Association Silver Award, 2023 Readers’ Favorite Bronze Medal Award for Business, and 2023 Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Gold Award for Communications

As a lifelong communication coach, Michelle Gladieux has discovered the four sneaky obstacles that can keep you from becoming an effective communicator:

Hiding--Fearing your low self-confidence will expose your supposed weaknesses
Defining--Putting too much stock into your assumptions and being quick to judge right and wrong
Rationalizing--Using ＂being realistic＂ to shield yourself from taking chances, engaging in conflict, or doing other scary but potentially rewarding actions
Settling--Stopping at good enough instead of pushing for something better

What all these challenges have in common is they require taking risks--to reveal yourself, to question your beliefs, to take a leap of faith, or to move out of your comfort zone. As a response, each chapter includes a Pro Move, or a best practice, and an exercise designed to help you overcome your fears and become a powerful communicator. Courageous communication requires self-knowledge, practice, and a fierce desire to continually improve; this book is like having an expert coach along with you for every step of the journey.

＂[A] wonderful book.＂ --Karl W. Einolf, PhD, President, Indiana Institute of Technology

Michelle Gladieux is president of Gladieux Consulting. She has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at three major universities, in addition to her consulting, speaking, and training work. Her current clients include Adidas, The American Red Cross, Best Buy, Manpower, Inc., Medtronic, United Way, YWCA, and many others. Her in-person seminars and online webinars have sparked positive change in thousands of lives each year. Gladieux is also a keynote speaker at national conferences.