I love the title of this book. It’s so true isn’t it? Maxwell is one of my heroes and he is a great connector. In this book he shares practical ways to connect with audiences whether it’s connecting with one person over coffee, connecting with people in a small group, or connecting with an audience of thousands.

He said it took him 8 years to find himself as a communicator. This book helped me on the journey I’m on to find myself as a communicator. There are a ton of principles to apply in this book. I’ll be coming back to this one often. I’d recommend it for anyone who is looking to improve their communication skills and looking to become a better connector.

Buy it here!

Highlights:

• President Gerald Ford once remarked, “If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.”

• It took me eight years to “find myself” as a speaker. And here’s great news: when you find yourself, you find your audience.

• “People need your influence, but it will not come through ‘lip syncing’ those you admire.”

• Connection always begins with a commitment to someone else.

• DiMaggio replied, “I always remind myself that there might be someone in the stands who never saw me play before.”

²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.                                                                         -John 15:2

I want to have a life that counts for God, so I’m always looking for ways to become more productive with my time. I recently listened to a John Maxwell leadership lesson on how to get more done in less time. He spoke about the rule of 5. The rule of 5 is taking an area of your life and doing 3-5 things daily to improve that area. He related it to cutting down a large tree, if you’ll take 5 swings a day at the tree with an axe, eventually it will come down.

It is the same way with our goals in life – the rule of 5 is picking an area of your life and saying, “Ok, what are 3-5 things I can do on a daily basis that will allow me to make progress toward my desired outcome?”

John used the example of writing books. He said because one of the most important things he does is write books – his rule of five for writing are:

Everyday I read, Everyday I Think, Everyday I write, Everyday I file, Everyday I ask Questions.

Since one day, I want to write books, I’ve adopted these into my daily routine. I have a rule of  5 for my walk with God, my relationships, networking, work, every area of my life. I know that if I can do 3-5 things everyday in the area of my priorities, I’m going to make a lot of progress over the course of a week, a month, a year, etc..

It’s said that if you’ll spend 15 minutes a day studying a subject, after 5 years, you’ll be an expert in that area. Little things really do add up. I encourage you to take all of the major areas of your life and make your “Rule of 5″ in each area. Everyday do those 3-5 things and watch as over time, your results start to compound.