Five Stars: The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great

by Carmine Gallo

How to get to master the art of persuasion--from the bestselling author of Talk Like Ted.

Ideas don't sell themselves. As the forces of globalization, automation, and artificial intelligence combine to disrupt every field career, having a good idea isn't good enough. Mastering the ancient art of persuasion is the key to standing out, getting ahead, and achieving greatness in the modern world. Communication is no longer a "soft" skill--it is the human edge that will make you unstoppable, irresistible, and irreplaceable--earning you that perfect rating, that fifth star.

In Five Stars, Carmine Gallo, bestselling author of Talk Like TED, breaks down how to apply Aristotle's formula of persuasion to inspire contemporary audiences. As the nature of work changes, and technology carries things across the globe in a moment, communication skills become more valuable--not less. Gallo interviews neuroscientists, economists, historians, billionaires, and business leaders of companies like Google, Nike, and Airbnb to show first-hand how they use their words to captivate your imagination and ignite your dreams.

In the knowledge age--the information economy--you are only as valuable as your ideas. Five Stars is a book to help you bridge the gap between mediocrity and exceptionality, and gain your competitive edge in the age of automation.

In Five Stars, you will also learn:

-The one skill billionaire Warren Buffett says will raise your value by 50 percent.
-Why your job might fall into a category where 75 percent or more of your income relies on your ability to sell your idea.
-How Airbnb's founders follow a classic 3-part formula shared by successful Hollywood movies.
-Why you should speak in third-grade language to persuade adult listeners.
-The one brain hack Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, and Picasso used to unlock their best ideas.

Genres: Communication, Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Self Help, Personal Development, Management

256 pages, Hardcover

Published June 5, 2018

About the author

Carmine Gallo is an American author, columnist, keynote speaker, and former journalist and news anchor. Now currently based in Pleasanton, California, he is President of Gallo Communications Group and works as a communications coach and speaker

Reviews

[Charmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. PERSUASION:
- Art of persuasion is fundamental. Not a soft skill.
- A little better at expressing ideas = competitive edge.
- Persuasion: labor income.
- Storytelling is the heart drives action.

2. AVERAGE SKILLS:
- = below average results.
- Everyone needs to find their “extra”.

3. CREATIVE:
- Humans are creative, build a future and imagination.
- Computers are good at solving problems done before, not novel.
- Critical thinking + communication skills (writing & speaking).
- Empathy is a valued skill.

4. LEADERSHIP SKILLS:
- *written and oral communication: pithy and to the point.
- Better communication skills lead to better opportunities for a leadership position (vs. having more experience, fewer communication skills).
- Leaders: Great ideas + communicate ideas persuasively.

5. SKILLS GAP:
- Lack of communication skills is hindering millennials from getting jobs.
- Emotional and social skills are growing in importance.
- Public speaking is an asset in your career.

6. PERSUASION:
- Stand out from the crowd.
- The “extra” is distinctive.
- 5th grader needs to be able to understand.
- Keep it simple (power statements) to talk to the CEO.
*Better than computers.

7. FIVE STAR
- emotional resonance, how they feel about the experience.
- Increase human communication. Caring. Genuine interest. Anticipate needs. Get her name right.
- Beat the greet, first to say hello. Storytelling. Help solve problems. Explain w/ enthusiasm.
- Connect concept to mainstream understanding.
- Exciting an audience about what they should know.

8. TYPES OF STORIES:
a. Personal experience - use struggle and stress.
b. Real clients - stories from customers and real people.
c. Signature story - more efficient than facts. Novel & entertaining. Authentic rings true. Vivid details. Surprise, the twist. Relatable
Conflict or tension. Compelling & brief. Pictures. No two brands share the same story.
- Pathos Principle- Elevate to weave a story that captures the imagination. Add stress to the story to increase emotional connection.

3-Act Structure + 15 beats
1. Set up: status quo cannot continue.
2. Struggle: obstacles hero must overcome. All seems lost.
3. Resolution: lives are transformed.

9. COGNITIVE BACKLOG:
- 18 minutes of substance, then the audience needs a break.
- Messages that inspire you to reach your highest potential.
- Fear of uncertainty. Fear of speaking up to convince people.
- Set a clear theme. 3 sections. Tie back and stories.
- Big picture: how what I do connects to the big picture.
- Deliver the big idea: “logline” —> pitch meeting to the movie.
Simple language. Simple sentence.
Time: under 10 minutes, get to your point quickly.
condense argument, 3 options, advocate for the strongest. Edit for clarity. Speak in grade-school language.
- Readability software.
- Pitch by analogy - quick way to grasp the concept.
-Steal great ideas from different industries, apply them to your own. Innovative connection (new category)
- Read books to improve writing. Improves brain function.
- Explore: Get ideas from going to new places
- original idea: think through creativity

10. “PRESENTATION LITERACY”:
- promote a shared dream.
a. Slide Design: Pictures, not bullet points. Compliment the narrative.
b. Make the audience laugh. If they are laughing, they are listening.
c. share personal stories. Creates engagement, meaningful connections.
d. State theme, easy to follow: structure allows the audience to remember,
- headlines,
- rule of 3.
- Central theme, repeated theme throughout the talk. “Twitter-friendly headline”. (thesis statement).
e. Novelty: Give the audience something new.
- SCARF: Status, don’t compare unfavorably. Share stories about members of the team, examples of what is desired. Explain changes, rationale. Fairness = watch for threats in social standing. Share info promptly. Transparency. The rationale behind decisions.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written by the same author as Talk Like Ted. I think the author spent too long selling the reader on why they should read this book. A chapter on why would have been fine but it goes on for many chapters and I was anxious to get to the reason I chose this book - to learn to be a more persuasive communicator. I love business books that tell stories and share anecdotes. This book clearly does that well which makes it engaging and entertaining, although as an avid business reader, I knew many of the stories, but I had trouble finding the substance, the key take-aways that I could apply to my future communication and presentations. I am sure they are somewhere in each story but there wasn't a solid recap at the end of each chapter reinforcing the key messages. I think adding that in a future edition would be very valuable.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Stars: The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great by Carmine Gallo

I really liked this book but I am a Communication nerd.

This book highlights a lot of areas where we can make good Communication Great Communication. I'm going to highlight a couple key points from this amazing books.

Humans are creative- computers are good but humans are better. A lot of people are worried that computers are taking away jobs from people except for one thing. We are creative and empathetic. That is why humans will be better then computers.

Average skill- before the age of computers the average Joe could make an average living. However now the average Joe needs a little extra something to make an average living. What is the extra? It can be anything from computer skills, special training, or soft skills.

Soft skills- soft skills was the main theme of this book. What is soft skills? Its simple, communications. Now a days soft skills is one of the most important skills to have. You will need this skill at any job level and in your personal life.

Leadership skills- not everyone can be a leader. But what makes a great leader a great leader? Great Communication skills can make a huge difference between an okay leader to an amazing leader.

I really enjoyed this book alot. I really do recommend this book for anyone who is a Communication nerd like myself. Or just wants to do better in Communication.

Raiting: 4 stars 🌟

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell stories and be brief, clear, and simple.

[Danielius Goriunovas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Šią 300 puslapių knygą būtų galima sutraukti į 3 lapus. Šaltinių pabaigoje daug, bet jie beprasmiai kaip ir ši knyga: tai 300 lapų su „XYZ tapo sėkmingi, nes aiškiai kalbėjo“.

Nežinau kodėl autorius skyrė jėgų tiek daug prirašyti, kad „kalbėti aiškiai yra svarbu“, bet nepridėjo nei realiai pritaikomų pavyzdžių, nei pratimų.

Neverta dėmesio. (Bet spaudos kokybė gera, tai bent tiek.)

[Matas Maldeikis · Rating 2 out of 5]

pfffffffff

[Ula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm officially done with these types of books. 250 pages that could have been 25. There were some good ideas (for instance, when to use metaphors) but in general... Blah.

[Karina Stakelytė · Rating 5 out of 5]

<...šiuolaikinį pasaulį sukūrė idėjos, ir būtent idėjų galia sukurs rytojaus pasaulį. Bet jeigu iškalba joms nepadės pasiekti žmonių ausis, visuomenė liks joms kurčia...>

[Rodman Marquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reminder that the ability to tell stories that other people understand and moves them to action, is a learned skill. This book gives stories from history that supports the success of brilliant storytellers and the historical names are familiar. If you have to deal with people who don’t listen well, then the tips in this book may help you to reach your goals faster. More than a 4 STAR read and closer to a 5 than a 4.

[William Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carmine Gallo has it right... Communication skills are the driving force of 21st Century business and life. The opening chapters with their arguments about our continued replacement by menial and even sometimes technically skilled machines are resonant with my own thoughts on the matter. In fact, this displacement of people into higher IQ and EQ jobs may be the covert crisis that threatens the stability of our society most. Perhaps here we have the germ of a solution: To improve communication for the world. A noble and achievable goal, compared to so many that loom over us.

Indeed, it is something that should be quite readily known to even the lowliest climber of the social and employment ladders. It is for this reason I am somewhat disappointed with the outcome of the book. It feels, more or less, like a sales pitch for a product that never arrives. He outlines so many examples of general humans who improved their communication without really exploring the 'how' or 'why' in a way that felt satisfying or worthwhile to me. It is a veritable shopping channel of confusion, there is little narrative consistency or argumentation. A hodgepodge of unknown characters and their Twitter dealings are emphasised but no real substance ever emerges. It is, at its best, a work of an amateur aphorist, at its worst: a faulty pitch for a book based on the scrapings of Quora. However, as someone who deals with this exact field, I am perhaps a difficult reader to appease. I have frequently come up against this issue with both myself and my clients.

I believe Five stars is, perhaps, a lofty title for such a work. It is no true guide to the constellation of communication around us. It is more the Orion's Belt of communication skills, the first thing we find as amateurs. I truly wonder if anyone has ever received a Ted talk on the back of it! Could anyone receive even a miserly promotion or pay rise? There is some strange irony that an expert in communication, something I do not doubt about the author, could miss the opportunity to show us some beautiful prose on the importance of human relationship building in an ever more digitised world. Instead, we receive this collection of mundane vignettes into the lives of Jane, Jerry, Pope Francis, Gary Barlow, David, Sarah, Shakespeare, Dr Cho, Dr Vincent or any of the other million people featured in the book (disclaimer: I do not know if these people actually featured among the countless names, it being impossible to keep track...), senselessly given the prime role instead of serving as illustrations of some well-formulated structure. This leaves the work feeling empty and vapid as well as being unsatisfying.

In the end, all I can give is three of my stars for Camine's five.

[Raminta Rusinaitė · Rating 4 out of 5]

C. Gallo parašė puikią knygą „Storytelling: pasakojimo meistrystė“, kai pamačiau šią naują jo knygą, nusipirkau iš karto. Atkeliavo it ką tik iš leidyklos, dar su tokiu šviežiu lapų kvapu, primenančiu saulėgrąžas. Man ši knyga pasirodė buvusios knygos papildinys, dar kartą pakartojantis, kad tinkamas faktų išsakymas istorijos pagalba yra ne tik įtikinėjimas, bet ir naujas „a must“.
„- Bet ką tik sakėte, kad jis nepaprastai protingas. Kodėl jo nepaskiriate vadovu?
- Šiais laikais negali vadovauti, jei nesugebi įkvėpti sekėjų.“
Kodėl istorijos yra tokios svarbios? Magnetinio rezonanso tyrimais mokslininkai aptinka, kad emocijos sukelia smegenyse cheminių medžiagų antplūdį, emocija užkariauja mūsų dėmesį faktams, o jausmais grįstų prisiminimų neįmanoma užmiršti. Štai kodėl per populiarias TED kalbas pranešėjai turi ne daugiau 18 minučių savo pranešimams bei vos kelias vizualias skaidres, o laiką užpildo istorijomis, kurias po to ilgai nešiojamės su savimi.
Tam, kad jūsų pasakojimas būtų sklandus ir įtaigus, jūsų istorija turi turėti pradžią, eigą su problema ir atomazgą. Ji turi būti intriguojanti ir autentiška, išgalvota istorija gali netgi pakenkti pasakotojo reputacijai. Jūsų istorija turi turėti detalių, kurios išpildytų pasakojimą ir kartu su netikėtumais antroje jos dalyje kurtų emociją ir įtampą. Galų gale atskleidžiama istorijos pabaiga, kuri sugretinama su jūsų verslo situacija ar įvaizduojamomis aplinkybėmis.

[Michael Huang]

I’m always skeptical about the notion that if you only could learn that one thing from this book, most of your problems will be solved. This book sounds a bit like that (it’s the communication, stupid), but it does have a number of good points/anecdotes:

* Focus on a single, concrete and time-specific goal. (Ask not the country to explore space in the future; ask the country to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before the decade is out.)

* Keep your presentation short. NASA’s press briefing was almost always 18 minutes. Make it too long, your audience will suffer from “cognitive backlog”

* Google’s research into what team is most productive reveals the key traits: 1. There is a high-level of psychological safety — people are not afraid of taking risks in full view of teammates; 2. High level of clarity in roles and goals; 3. Members are certain about their impact.

* Don’t use a long word when a short one works. Be a Hemingway. Research shows that typical Americans understand content best if something is written at 10th grade level. (Wait, did the author just took a swipe at Hemingway, implying he’s only considered good because other writers are too difficult for Americans? And no wonder a certain Hemingway of twitter is quite popular.)

[Laura (thenerdygnomelife) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a middle of the road business book for me -- one I'd recommend checking out of the library for a quick skim but not necessarily the type you'd buy for a deep read with a pen and highlighter.

On the plus side, this truly was a fast read. Part of that was because I didn't feel much benefit from the first 2/3rds of the book: they "why you need to tell stories" and "who's done it well" examples. This may be because this topic is not a new one for me, having recently read "Stories That Stick." I did, however, find the last 1/3 helpful and found myself taking photos of a few key pages with instructions on crafting your stories. As a much-shorter how-to book, this would be a knockout.

[Matias Koskinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book contains a collection of mindsets, methods and frameworks to improve your speaking skills — a useful handbook for speakers, presenters or to anyone who talks with other people really.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many great examples and tools to use to improve your communication and excel. Very well written.

[hemlet kiai · Rating 3 out of 5]

another great book from carmine on the art of public speaking.

[Sergey Grinev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много историй успеха, доказательств важности софт-скилл, но как получить эти софт-скилл не написано.

[Ksenia Ivanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Pole halba meeskonda, on ainult viletsad juhid. Juhtimine on iga meeskonna soorituse kõige suurem mõjur."

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

五星級溝通術，你的成功巨浪

[Carolyn Crichton · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of recycled materials. If you've read this author, watch Ted talks, and generally read this genre then you will find little new information in this book

[Shivani Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book. It talks about the ethos, logos, and pathos. How our communication skills matter and how it makes a difference. Read it. It also talks about the power of story telling and how Richard Branson is using it.

[Rebecca Fung · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did one thing right - it started with a catchy opener. I loved the sequence about Hamilton. That is the best thing about its communication technique - get your audience in from the start.

Unfortunately, for a book about awesome communication, this book does not follow its own advice. I found that while it talked about people who could speak well and originally, this book was severely lacking. It sounded a lot like many other inspirational business books out there. Where was the beautifully phrased line with resonance and rhythm that I will take away and repeat along with King's or Lincoln's speech forevermore? I'm afraid it won't be from Gallo's Five Stars.

Gallo talked about both communication and critical thinking being vitally important skills as they cannot so easily be taken over by artificial intelligence. However, when you put on your critical thinking cap, it's easy to read Gallo's book and its catalogue of anecdotes and become quite skeptical.

As others have said, it has an overly long introductory part, which rather contradicts his idea that you should get your ideas across as concisely as possible. His real ideas take a while to get to and the intro could be massively shortened.

He talks about the importance of narrative and emotional connection. Most of his stories are other people's stories and he does worship at the altar of startups and the digital revolution. The real problem, I feel, is that after a while, you are overwhelmed with these anecdotes and instead of feeling inspired, you begin to get the feeling they're contrived. Yes, there's nothing wrong with "cherry-picking the cool stuff" (this is from Gallo's book) - in theory. However in a non-fiction book, by cherry-picking your evidence and editing down your stories (another form of cherry-picking) so they suit your agenda, so all you have is a mass of stories that support you to the point of ridiculousness, then you run the risk of losing credibility as a serious examiner of your subject matter and instead are seen as a snake-oil salesman.

I noted that Gallo very quickly mentioned Galileo Galilei as an example of someone who stood out and suffered for it but quickly said that back in those days, standing out was bad, nowadays standing out was essential to thriving. I think this was an oversimplification of the current state of affairs and was written purely to serve Gallo's purpose, but did not show even the slightest bit of critical thinking. It did not even say something like there could be different ways standing out was treated but that wasn't within the scope of this book.

There were some fun anecdotes here and some basic, useful tips on public communication (though many of these can be found in other books on public speaking) and it had a good opening. I also found that for a book on good communication it did not talk more about techniques, about adjusting to different audiences and media and purposes.

It mentions how useful some things like using a Hemingway app can be but does not talk about its limitations. As was mentioned at the beginning, there are some things only the human can understand and feel. Humans know if your language is readable to them.

The book could also use a bit of an editorial check itself.

[Skaiste Kriksciunaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lengvai ir aiškiai sudėliota knyga apie tai, kaip pasakoti istorijas, iš kokių svarbiausių elementų jos susideda ir kokių “triukų” verta išmokti. Pvz.:

“Klausytojas prisimins gal 10% žodinės informacijos turinio, bet pridėkime vaizdą ir jo atmintyje išliks net 64%.”

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling like I'm watching a self-help vortex develop. This quotes form extreme ownership and andy Mckee. I hate it when books tell you they are going to spend the first half telling you why this their topic is relevant and useful. Yes, that's why I got the book, I'm interested in learning more about the topic, I'm already sold so get on with it. Listened to the first 2/3rds as fast as I could and slowed down for the actual advice part- Mostly tell stories. In interviews and pitches, use images over words, make it personal and emotional and follow the 3 act structure. Might try and find a book on speeches as that part was really good too.

[Alan Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful advice that you’ll actually remember (unlike Gallo’s Talk Like Ted - not sure if I need to re-read it, or shouldn’t bother!). Mostly good anecdotes and insights, even if it’s a bit too in awe of American startup culture. Bullshit peddlers like Matt Ridley crop up at times but they’re drowned out by actual scientists and smart thinkers.

[Weekend Critic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean it's probably a decent self help book if it's your first one.
If not, you have already heard most of the ideas described here.
Oh and literally 3/4th of this book is WHY you need to read it. Ridiculous.

Whole book could be a simple blog post about the fact that framing your pitches and presentations into engaging stories is better than raw data/numbers. Who would have thought, right?:)

[Rishi Patel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve previously read Talk Like Ted by Gallo and this just seemed like the same book with a different use of examples.
The points are the same, learn how to communicate if you want a better chance of being influential.

[Max Shilovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for those who want to know WHY they should be great at communicating. For those who’d like to know HOW they could be great at communicating I’d recommend to consider choosing something else.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read part 3 (the practical advice section of this book) and found it pretty helpful. A lot of emphases was placed on storytelling and how to give better presentations, which I’m excited to apply to my work!

[Zita Gudauskienė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knygoje įkvėpiančiai ir su pavyzdžiais pateikiama kalbėjimo ir įtikinimo galia. Vertingi patarimai su pavyzdžiais. Įtraukiančiai išdėstyta.