Gifts from the Heart: Skills for Speaking, Listening, and Bonding

Gifts from the Heart is a friendly, concise, and easy-to-read book that helps students learn, practice, and improve ten fundamental communication skills needed for any long-term relationship. Each skill is presented as a “gift” for students to give to others, rather than as a behavior to implement, empowering students to participate more fully in their relationships.

With a conversational and student-friendly writing style, each chapter focuses on one essential communication skill that can dramatically enhance students’ connections with their romantic partners, family members, and friends. The book uses simple language, memorable concepts, and practical exercises to present communication techniques that can be used by those hoping to improve specific relationships and by all those who want to offer “gifts” to others in their lives.

The third edition of Gifts from the Heart includes new material on using digital technology to enhance and strengthen interpersonal relationships, while minimizing technological barriers to face-to-face interactions.