Presentation of the Book "Supercommunicators" Took Place at the Initiative of Newmag and Acba Business Club (Photos)

The book presentation of Supercommunicators took place at the Alexander Hotel. The work was presented by the book's editor Gnel Nalbandyan, Chief SME and Corporate Business Officer at Acba Bank Hakob Hakobyan, and head of Newmag Artak Aleksanyan.

During their speeches, the speakers highlighted the key messages Charles Duhigg conveys through his new book—regarding effective communication, leadership, business relations, and the nuances of negotiating with representatives of different cultures. This is already the third work by the author translated by Newmag; prior to this, the publishing house released The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better.

In his speech, Gnel Nalbandyan emphasized that books translated by Newmag not only become accessible to the Armenian reader, but also circulate within global scientific and professional works. According to him, the ideas of various books and authors are interconnected, allowing readers to gain a deeper understanding of important modern topics through these connections.

"An internal, self-transmitting network is being formed within the literature translated by Newmag. The ideas presented in these books continuously spread into the works of other authors, researchers, and thinkers."

Speaking on the core themes of Supercommunicators, Gnel Nalbandyan highlighted the culture of communication. According to him, the book shows that effective communication is not merely the ability to speak; it is also crucial with what attitude, using which words, and for what purpose we interact.

"We are all supercommunicators, but some people are just better at it," he quoted the author, drawing attention to the significance of positive phrasing and respectful communication:

"Numerous studies show that online tension decreases when at least one of the interlocutors remains polite. If one person is polite, they will carry the second along, and the second will influence the next. It is a chain reaction. Experiments have shown that simply using the words 'thank you' and 'you're welcome' during a conversation is enough to ease tension."

Chief SME and Corporate Business Officer at Acba Bank Hakob Hakobyan spoke about the role of communication in the business environment. He noted that companies often pay great attention to strategy, innovation, and technology, yet underestimate the importance and value of human communication.

"Strategies may go misunderstood, negotiations may fail, and partners may not hear each other if there is no shared understanding at the core of communication. In many cases, the issue is not that people speak poorly, but that they have different goals and perceive the exact same statement differently."

Hakob Hakobyan also considered the book Supercommunicators important within the context of Acba Business Club's activities. The club's goal, according to him, is not only to transfer knowledge and skills, but also to foster communication, collaboration, and a new ecosystem among businesses.

"We must anchor our competitive advantage on the quality of people, the quality of decisions, and the quality of relationships. And at the foundation of all three lies communication once again." 

Artak Aleksanyan's speech was followed by a special lecture on "How to Negotiate in Different Countries." He presented the communicative characteristics of various cultures and discussed how to avoid misunderstandings during international negotiations.

The lecture was based on Erin Meyer's book The Culture Map, which Newmag translated and published in Armenian. According to Aleksanyan, different cultures perceive trust, directness, criticism, the value of time, and the negotiation process in distinct ways:

"We communicate, negotiate, meet, and want to reach agreements with foreigners. If a deal fails, one must understand where the mismatch was and how the other party perceived your proposal."

Artak Aleksanyan illustrated with examples that in American business culture, trust is often built on professional capabilities and expected outcomes. In contrast, in certain Eastern cultures, personal trust and relationship-building are essential prior to closing a deal.

The head of Newmag also highlighted cultural differences regarding schedules. For some partners, a firm deadline is a sign of professionalism and responsibility, whereas in other cultures, the negotiation process can be more flexible and open-ended.

"You need to understand what audience you are dealing with," he concluded, emphasizing that a good proposal alone is not enough for successful negotiations. It is necessary to recognize a partner's culture, communication style, and ways of building trust.

Following the presentation of Supercommunicators, conversations and networking continued over a glass of wine.