Magic Words by Tim David

As a professional magician, Tim David realized that true magic lies in the way words influence people. This transformed his life and today, he is focused on helping people be more effective communicators.

He points out that the biggest problem that everyone faces is their inability to connect with others and motivate them to do things. We see that parents are unable to discipline their children enough, businesses are unable to make potential customers buy into their ideas, and so on. 

Ironically, the increasing amount of communication that we witness these days is accompanied by a decline in the quality of communication. David reasoned this to a decrease in empathy and increasing self-centeredness in individuals. As a result, cooperation among people is collapsing.  

This book is all about seven common words that can be highly powerful, provided we know how to use them. He terms these words as magical for their ability to touch the deep needs of every person. So, when we use these words, they work their magic and truly connect us with each other. 

He draws on the works of various accomplished personalities like Dr. John Gottman, Anthony Robbins, Ellen Langer, Abraham Maslow, Dale Carnegie and Simon Sinek, to name a few.

Inspired by American psychologist Maslow, he creatively presents the six human motivators in the form of a story. This way the readers can empathize and really understand not just what motivates individuals but also if they are the right person for the job.  

The language used is easy and direct. He does not just tell but also illustrates how and when to use these words to elicit a certain response from others. He further explains why these words work when used in a specific way.  

The to-the-point and actionable content is engaging. He provides tips that can be useful in a tricky social situation. For instance, he uses the concepts of ‘But Eraser’ and ‘But Enhancer’ to show how we can say things we want to convey without making others feel bad and how we can disagree in an agreeable manner. 

Words evoke feelings, and people primarily act on emotions rather than logic. With their ability to create meaningful human connections, words can make or break the world. Having a way with words is a great skill that can be learned, and this book surely helps in that regard. 

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