Communication misunderstandings occur in everyday life, and it is an unfortunate truth that most of them could be avoided if the communicators are even a little bit aware of them. This book excellently covers various aspects of miscommunication and missing communication. This book is mainly focused on communication gaps within organizations, although individual communication is also discussed in that context.

Karten covers the subject matter in an interesting way, using various anecdotes to which readers can relate. It is interesting to realize how obvious situations can be disastrous without proper understanding of the basic rules of communication. The book is full of examples, though I would suggest having some more positive examples in a future edition.

An overview of various situations where communication gaps can occur starts the book. The text is divided into four sections, excluding the opening and concluding chapters. The first section identifies various situations where misunderstandings and misinterpretations can occur. This section is divided into three chapters, which describe three distinct ways in which miscommunications can happen.

The second section, chapters 5 through 8, discusses the means for prevention of miscommunications. Various communication strategies, different communication styles and preferences, ways to deal with different people, and communication techniques in the work environment are discussed.

The third section, chapters 9 through 11, addresses the communication between service providers and customers. Understanding the customer’s perspective must be the top priority in the service sector, if the firm is to maintain a long-term healthy relationship with customers. Chapter 9 discusses the role of communication in creating customer satisfaction. Correct assessment of customer satisfaction is the subject of chapter 10. Chapter 11 suggests various ways by which effective communication can take place, resulting in customer satisfaction.

In the fourth section, the author talks about changes in organizations, and the role of communication during the process of change. Chapters 12 and 13 present various recommendations for communication at the time of change, with particular focus in chapter 13 on people in leadership positions.

Finally the author concludes the book with a discussion of how to become a so-called gapologist, described as someone who is able to close communication gaps.

The book will be an easy read for anyone who is involved in communication of some sort (which means everybody!). Although it does not demand any specific qualifications as a prerequisite to reading, it can still provide food for thought to the general public, and to serious intellectuals alike.