The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication Quotes

“Consultant and former executive vice president and chief marketing officer at First Republic Bank Dianne Snedaker advised, Set your standards high and keep them high. If you are interested in success, it’s easy to set your standards in terms of other people’s accomplishments. And then let other people measure you by those standards. But the standards you set for yourself are always the more important. They should be higher than the standards anyone else would set for you, because in the end you have to live with yourself, and judge yourself, and feel good about yourself. And the best way to do that is to live up to your highest potential. So set your standards high and keep them high, even if you think no one else is looking. Somebody out there will always notice, even if it’s just you.46”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“How do you get better as a speaker? By speaking—and paying attention to what works and what doesn’t.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“If I can describe possibilities to people that will expand their ability and capacity, give them a clear path toward these possibilities, help them believe in themselves, and inspire them to act, I can genuinely help them. And that’s what communication is all about.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“How can you empower people? Whether you’re talking with two people or speaking to a large audience, do these five things: Embrace people’s potential. I see everyone as a ten out of ten, and I tell them that. You can too. Give people permission to succeed. I try to “open the gate” for them to walk in new territory. You can too. Invite collaboration. This means working together aggressively, as opposed to cooperation, which is merely working together agreeably. People are more likely to reach their potential when working with others. I encourage collaboration. You can too. Encourage ownership. As much as I want people to succeed, only they can make themselves successful by taking action. I encourage them to do that. You can too. Ask them to hold themselves accountable. People realize their possibilities when they are accountable for results. I help them understand that achieving results fuels a cycle of encouragement. You can too.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“The purpose of communication isn’t to impress your audience. It’s to empower your audience. You don’t want people coming away saying, “Wow. She’s amazing. She has done great things!” You want them saying, “Wow. This is amazing. I can do great things!”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Good communicators talk people up. They believe in their audience, see their best, and encourage them because they see their value.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“A different world cannot be built by indifferent people. If you want to make a difference, you need to know your convictions and act on them. And if you want to be a change-making communicator, you need to harness the power of your deepest beliefs when you speak. Why? Because the stronger you believe it, the more people feel it.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Winston Churchill wrote, “The orator is the embodiment of the passions of the multitude. Before he can inspire them with any emotion he must be swayed by it himself. Before he can move their tears his own must flow. To convince them he must himself believe.” Churchill was only twenty-three when he penned those words, but he practiced them his entire life.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Thinking has great value because it brings feeling and knowing together, evaluates both, and seeks good conclusions. It acts as a highlighter, bringing out the best of your emotions and knowledge, and as a filter, removing the worst parts of each.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“If you want to be an energetic and effective communicator, you need to be a person of conviction. That begins with strong positive beliefs about yourself, your audience, and the message you have to offer others.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“As you observe great communicators to learn from them, pay close attention to them and their audience while asking yourself these questions: When did the speaker connect? This is about timing. How did the speaker connect? This is about skill. How long did the speaker connect? This is about greatness. How can I connect like that speaker? This is about your potential. What are my connecting keys? This is about your technique.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Every time you prepare to speak, ask yourself, Is this something I know? Is this something I feel? Is this something I do? Look for a yes to all three questions, and work to keep those things in alignment. You are the message you speak. If what you’re preparing to deliver doesn’t connect with you, it won’t connect with others. It won’t breathe life into others if it doesn’t live in you. Why? Because your most effective message is the one you live. That’s the Law of Credibility.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Being a good communicator is a journey, not a destination.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Trust is a person’s greatest asset. When you have established your trustworthiness, people know you possess good motives, that you genuinely want to help others. People can sense it. Trustworthiness makes leaders and communicators effective because people listen to them, believe what they say, and cooperate with them. Without trust, everything grinds to a halt.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Relive what you have learned, allowing the audience to relive it with you. Earn the audience’s respect by sharing your wins and gain their love by sharing your failures. Decide what you shall speak on by choosing what you have lived out.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Mark Batterson says, “Almost anybody can accomplish almost anything if they work at it long enough, hard enough, and smart enough.”10 What he’s really talking about is consistency. Since the best predictor of what a person will do today is what he did yesterday, a solid pattern of consistency gives a person credibility. What you repeatedly do tells others who you are.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“People don’t want perfect communicators, but they do want authentic ones.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“The relationship we have with ourselves determines the relationships we will have with others. If we don’t accept who we are, if we are uncomfortable with ourselves, if we don’t know our own strengths and weaknesses, if we aren’t authentic, then the attempts we make to connect with others will misfire.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“If you speak words you do not live, you lack authenticity and your communication will not be successful.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“Authenticity doesn’t automatically guarantee success… but inauthenticity guarantees failure.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message

“your most effective message is the one you live. Anything else is just empty words. That is the Law of Credibility.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message