If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating

Drawing on improvisation training, theater, and storytelling techniques from a life of acting, and with insights from recent scientific studies, Alda describes ways we can build empathy, nurture our innate mind-reading abilities, and improve the way we relate and talk with others. With his trademark humor and candor, he explores how to develop empathy as the key factor.“Invaluable.”—Deborah Tannen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of You’re the Only One I Can Tell and You Just Don’t Understand Alan Alda has been on a decades-long journey to discover new ways to help people communicate and relate to one another more effectively. Exploring empathy-boosting games and exercises, If I Understood You is a funny, thought-provoking guide that can be used by all of us, in every aspect of our lives—with our friends, lovers, and

Alda is an active member of the science community, having hosted the award-winning series Scientific American Frontiers for eleven years and founded the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. . Alda played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series M*A*S*H, and his many films include Crimes and Misdemeanors,Everyone Says I Love You,Manhattan Murder Mystery, and Br

"How to Listen" according to Found Highways. Normally, I find this kind of book that has one big idea, an ideal candidate for skimming. There is often a lot of filler, and a tendency to pound away at that one idea until the book has reached an acceptable length for commercial publication. Alan Alda's book has the one idea, that we have to relate to each other in order to communicate, and then he embroiders on that theme for the rest of the book, but it is so entertaining and chatty, that I enjoyed it well after buying into the big idea. He uses. Easy to read, but completely devoid of practical advice This review will get lost among all the fake reviews (the 'Top 1000 reviewers' who supposedly find this book earth-shattering), but after wasting my time I view it as a public service to tell it how it is.The book is an easy, even pleasant read. Alan follows his own advice of telling stories, and the result is a book that reads fast and smoothly. But at the end of it, I felt that I had learned nothing practical about how to communicate better.Why? Precisely because Alan tells stories (mostly about al. Everyone should read this book! Cindy B. (ThoughtsFromAPage) 5++ starsEvery single person on the planet should read this book. Alan Alda (who is a phenomenal writer) has written a highly informative book about the importance of communicating better. He then goes on to provide innovative and creative ways to help people do so. He is a natural storyteller, and the book is so entertaining that I completed it in one evening. Alda uses miscommunication stories from his own life to demonstrate how important it is for people to understand each other, and the issues t

Communicating is at the heart of connectedness. His book is useful and fun, and it is a valuable tonic for these challenging times.”—Lawrence M. Alda, with his laudable curiosity, has learned something you and I can use right now.”—Charlie Rose “Sit back and enjoy Alan Alda’s scientific journey of communication.”—Barbara Walters. The issues he touches on are more important now than ever. And that is who will find his book invaluable: everyone.”—Deborah Tannen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of You’re the Only One I Can Tell and You Just Don’t Understand“Alda uses his tradem