People Skills for Analytical Thinkers: Boost Your Communication and Advance Your Career - and Life

by Gilbert Eijkelenboom

Have you ever:
Presented an idea, but then no one seemed to care?
Explained your analysis, only to leave your colleague confused?
Struggled to work with people who are less analytical and more emotional?
In these situations, people skills make the difference, and research shows these skills are becoming increasingly more important at work.


Imagine:
Being so self-aware that you can enter a room with confidence, even if the room is filled with people that you don’t know.
Having fun and productive social interactions, also with those who have a different personality.
Getting people to listen to your ideas attentively, because you know how to be convincing.

That’s what this book helps with – and more!

You don’t like soft and fluffy talk? Good. The author describes human behavior in an analytical language, using algorithm and data metaphors. This will help you understand the human equation and excel at communication.

Filled with academic insights, exercises, and stories, this book will change your career.

Genres: Communication, Psychology, Business, Self Help, Personal Development, Nonfiction, Relationships

164 pages, Paperback

Published September 26, 2020

About the author

As a former professional poker player, you can find Gilbert Eijkelenboom wherever psychology and data meet. While Gilbert’s academic background is in Behavioral Science, he has built a career in Analytics consulting.

Combining both worlds, Gilbert founded the training company MindSpeaking to help data professionals become powerful communicators. He is a passionate writer, reaching more than 100,000 views each month.

Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eijkelenb...

Reviews

[Matt Hutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you an analytical thinker? Do you ever get stuck when it comes to having a conversation with people at work or in social situations? Then I highly recommend reading People Skills for Analytical Thinkers by Gilbert Eijkelenbook. Here's why.

People Skills for Analytical Thinkers, so far in 2021, is one of my favorite books. It will help people who have had a hard time communicating their thoughts using the four parts of the book:

1. SELF-AWARENESS
2. OPTIMIZE
3. INTERACT
4. INFLUENCE

The thing that you'll love about this book is Gilbert's sense of humor and ability to put a hard-to-understand concept, like communication, into an easily understandable formula with color visuals to help you understand even better. The book is analytical but fun at the same time.

Take for example when he taught the reader about the Batman and Joker algorithms.
👉Batman algorithms are the ones telling you right from wrong, good from the bad. Batman has the courage to act even when it's hard.
👉Joker algorithms are the part of you that is scarred by the past. The Joker tells you false stories and tricks you into doing or not doing something when you should or shouldn't.

This part of the book is one of the best as it's easy to remember. There are several other examples and visuals that help you understand what Gilbert is teaching us.

PEOPLE SKILLS FOR ANALYTICAL THINKERS HAS GOT IT ALL
When reading this book you will truly be able to tell that Gilbert put all of his time and effort into crafting a piece of art that helps analytical and introverted people to learn how to understand themselves first, build on their empathy skills, and grow their confidence and influence.

Communication is a skill that is no doubt needed in every situation of life. If you follow Gilbert's suggestion you will not only be more confident and able to express what's actually going on in your mind but you will also be able to listen better to other people because you can relate to them.

Or as Gilbert said close to the end of his book, 'Walk to the other side of the table. An IKEA table, to be specific.

👉Interest:
-What are they interested in? Don't dive into technical details. Instead, tell the audience how it will impact them.
👉Knowledge:
-What do they already know? Tell them something new, but don't make it too difficult. This is a tricky balance. Stay away from jargon. Use words that they understand. Or even better, use words that they use.
👉Engage:
-What stories and examples would help to illustrate your key points?
👉Assumptions:
Avoid assumptions about the audience's interest, knowledge level, and the best way of engagement. Better to check beforehand than waste people's time.'

As I mentioned before, People Skills for Analytical Thinkers has many great examples, (real examples), and lovely illustrations to help you apply the main takeaways of this book. It's a book I wish I had read in my teens and am very happy I have this knowledge under my belt now.

I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of this amazing book to add it to your collection of life-changing books.

[Christina Stathopoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotions are a valuable part of our decision-making process, but they often get overlooked or ignored by analytical thinkers. This book teaches how to embrace your emotional side (your 'emotional elephant') to make better choices & in doing so, improve your people skills. Author Gilbert has found a way to eloquently breakdown his findings at the intersection of analytics and psychology to build a step-by-step algorithmic approach to our behaviors. Clear visuals, personal examples and actionable steps are used throughout to advise on how to improve your own people skills and emotional intelligence. Incredibly valuable content for analytical thinkers and very well written!

[Martin Goebbels]

When I saw this book on my searches my first thought was, great, another recipe for a better and fulfilled life book, telling how great we are and giving the receipt on how to achieve success. I wasn't totally wrong, it can be viewed as a kind of manual, but it's far more than just that. It immediately resonated in my mind. I liked the emotional intelligence concepts and the figure of the rider on an elephant, our rational and emotional selves brought from behaviour science. I've been working with coding and data analysis all my life and know very well the concept of an algorithm. With social media and Artificial Intelligence becoming more popular subjects the word algorithm has been used more often, but it's the first time I see the concept applied to a method to explain and improve our interpersonal skills. If the analytical thinker profile matches yours, You are going to like this book.

[Phelipe Carmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must

Great reading with a really good flow and honestly the best analogy I ve ever seen, great book for those looking to improve their social skills.

[Gemma Kuijpers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is meant for people who want to improve their emotional Intelligence. The writer is an analyst and this book is based on his journey to change communication and improve. It contains the experiences of the writer itself and describes a lot of examples but also references to the theory of others on which he based his approach.
The book and the approach are written in a concentric way. So it starts easy by investigating yourself and your behavior. The steps towards improving yourself and your EQ are written down in 26 principles. Every chapter contains a summary and repetition of the steps and conclusions. This is really good and it makes your mind remember all important steps and practices.
I like this approach as this is how I like to learn new things. I have read the book in two weeks. The first chapters are easy to read and the exercises are practical and doable (to my opinion). When moving on in the process, although there is enough guidance and tips the exercises become more complex and difficult.
I really think it is worth reading this book and using the principles. Even if you do not want to go the whole way to the end. Reading and practicing will help to communicate better and become a happier, balanced person in real life and at work at least that is what I got from it.
I recommend the book to everybody who is insecure, wants to improve his communication and especially for the agile coaches who have trouble convincing people in an organization to transform. Moving over to the other side of the table and using IKEA as guidance could be very effective.
So make your life easier, buy the book and start improving!
Gemma Kuijpers

[Giulio Ciacchini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good and concise essay on the strategies for rational thinkers to develop and enhance their social and interpersonal skills.
Nothing revolutionary, if for instance you've read "Thinking Fast and Slow", but still valuable.
Now that I've read a bunch of psychology books I easily can spot many common concepts and similar patterns, meditate, ask for feedback, system 1 Vs 2.

Following Kahneman's footsteps he describes the relationship between system 1 and system 2

The elephant is emotional, irrational, and impulsive. On the other side, the rider is analytical, rational, and controlled. The rider objectively knows the best way to go, but the elephant is 70 times heavier. The rider can gently steer and pull the elephant in a direction (rational brain), but the elephant goes where they want to go (emotional brain). The classic (and false) assumption is this: disregard feelings; only focus on facts. That is exactly how I thought six years ago. However, if you eliminate emotions, you ignore the beast that has all the power.
Even as a rational person, your emotions are crucial for the decisions you make in your life. Learn how to recognize your own and other people's emotions and use them to your advantage.

Since everybody experiences this duality, in order to better relate with people we should try to understand what's in the other person's mind: a difficult task since most of us are not even aware of their own thinking.
He labels this behaviours as algorithms, automatic patterns that our brain builds over the years

Some of the algorithms that you have built in your life are deeply ingrained in your mind. However, that doesn't mean you can't change anything. Through the behavior impact analysis, you can examine the results of your behavior. If you are unhappy with what you see, it's time for change. In three steps (catch yourself, experiment, repeat), you can slowly develop behavior that leads to more productive results. This way, you can counter the tricks that your Jocker algorithm play on you.
You should minimize your assumptions about the other person. Instead strive to check them.

Hence it doesn't come as a surprise the fact that Eijkelenboom encourages to speak our mind, to ask questions to understand better what's the behaviour of our closest friends so to better understand them and create better relationships.
In the author's terminology, try to discover and learn their algorithms.
This should go in both directions: share more of your personal data and regular conversations.
These conversational seeds make it easier for others to understand your algorithms. Moreover, they help the other person develop an interesting dialogue.
When you try to persuade someone first understand your own goals, then understand the other persons goals, and finally propose your idea in a way that benefits both you and the other person spending enough time and energy on step two understanding the other persons perspective increases your chances of successful persuasion.

In such a situation, you can decide to help the other person meet that neither at least show empathy for their emotions. That doesn't mean we should be a doormat letting people walk over us. You can always set boundaries. The point is when you understand that most people have good intentions, it's easier to empathise with them as a result negative emotions will be reduced and you can build a strong relationship.
Most people have good intentions behind an unfavourable behaviour is usually an unmeet need the belief that the behaviour they display will get that need fulfilled is their algorithm.
You can learn about peoples algorithms in different ways observing behaviour will only give you surface level information, asking about other peoples algorithms often leads to a deeper understanding which in turn will improve your social interactions.
(...)
Instead, I called the opposite of a nice guy, a MindSspeaker. Gender doesn't matter attitude does a mind speaker doesn't have the same false belief as the nice guy, a he understands the algorithms of others and knows that pleasing everybody is not a good strategy in the long run. That's why mind speakers says what's on his mind. He listens well and is open to other peoples perspectives at the same time of mind speakers says what he is thinking, even if his views clash with those of others, a mind speaker expresses his feelings because feelings aren't weak, but reveal that we are human mind. MindSspeaker speaks the truth and is authentic he doesn't avoid conflict because he knows that he will be ok. He doesn't nervously avoid stepping on other people's toes, he understand that social tension and disagreement are healthy and can lead to deep relationships and new business insights, he takes the initiative and isn't afraid to make mistakes because he knows he isn't perfect.

In the final part of the book he focuses even more on how to improve relationships: again nothing unheard of, but well written and well organized

First, you can share your data proactively before the behaviour of the other person occurs. In other words you tell them about your algorithms and doing so you educate them on what works well for you and what doesn't you feed their brain with more data so they can learn and take your preferences into account. Another benefit of sharing more of your data is that you plant conversational seeds. These help others relate to you and develop a fun and productive conversation second, you can share your data reactively giving feedback to the other person. This helps the other person better understand your algorithms, and maybe use that information to change their behaviour in the future. Be expressive about your algorithms, but always do so with empathy. It's important to realise that everyone has different preferences.
(...)
People don't always behave in a way that we appreciate. We don't always understand that response either, but no matter how tempting stay away from judging judging will only magnify the differences between you and the other person by staying careless you keep the connection. Also, this curiosity helps to identify what you can learn from people with a different personality with a deep understanding of the algorithms of others. You can accurately predict how others will respond to your behaviour, how the goal of developing such awareness is not to carefully choose the socially desirable behaviour in order to others. These strategy is based on the wrong understanding, because most people don't enjoy such nice guy behaviour. Instead become a more expressive and don't be afraid to stand out.

[Anamaria Huluba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m officially a MindSpeaker! 🤗

I have had the most pleasant realisation today after reading Gilbert Eijkelenboom book called People Skills for Analytical Thinkers.

It was such a easy book to read and took me only a couple of days to finish, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

I also loved the feel of it, the way the cover feels and how hard it was to put it down. Probably, it was something intentional, but I loved the flow of it too. From the practical examples, with which you can easily relate, all the way the book ends and highlights the key points the author himself found most useful.

So, like I was saying, I have found that I was already following all 3 steps, emphasised in the book. The absolute CRITICAL part, that we all should take away from reading this book, is the need to prioritise all three steps, without skipping step 2 which is to INTERACT.

Watch out for a little bonus at the end, as Gilbert was such a sweetheart to follow through with his teaching and created The Art of Conversation.

This course consists of 16 practical emails, full of tips to transform your conversations.

I’m excited and at the same time emotional, as I have had the most amazing time reading this book.

[Charlotte Arts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this one for work. Was actually nicely surprised by the book. Super interesting, valuable life lessons and insights, with real, comprehensible stories / examples. We will work further on becoming a MindSpeaker during our 3 trainingdays. 7 hours of reading pleasure! [owned]

[Rasha El-Ghitani · Rating 4 out of 5]

People Skills for Analytical Thinkers is written for individuals who excel in logical thinking, problem-solving, and data analysis, but who may struggle with interpersonal communication, emotional awareness, or relational dynamics. Gilbert Eijkelenboom, drawing on behavioral psychology and organizational experience, argues that analytical thinkers can develop strong people skills through deliberate, structured approaches — just as they would any technical skill. The book’s central premise is that interpersonal effectiveness is not innate or personality-dependent; rather, it is a learnable competency that complements analytical strengths.

The book combines psychological explanation, practical strategies, and self-reflection exercises, making it both informative and actionable. Its tone is respectful of analytical thinkers’ strengths while gently challenging the mindset barriers that often hinder communication and collaboration.

The book’s strength lies in its clear organization and its respect for analytical thinkers’ existing abilities. Eijkelenboom avoids emotional clichés and instead presents interpersonal skills through frameworks and step-by-step structures, which aligns well with the cognitive preferences of the book’s intended audience.

The use of real examples and exercises increases practical applicability. However, the book lightly references research rather than engaging deeply with scientific literature, which may leave readers seeking empirical depth wanting more. Additionally, some scenarios lean toward idealized workplace settings, and individuals in highly hierarchical or high-stress environments may require complementary strategies.

Recommended for individuals seeking to improve collaboration, leadership presence, communication confidence, and emotional self-awareness — particularly those who prefer structured, rational learning approaches.

[Pankaj Saikia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read this book and loved it. As an engineer - I tend to analyze any situation logically and rationally by observing the content and context around it. However - I fail to address the emotional aspects around the periphery as either those are not obvious or get overlooked due to overemphasis on the left brain or due to the assumption that " they would also be thinking like me". This book gives an algorithmic way to see through those gaps and helps to bridge those practically.
This is also a good book for parents to raise and guide kids the right way so that they grow up to become confident and emotionally intelligent adults. We often as parents try to impose our views, thoughts and feelings on our children. Over time - these conditions them in a way where they fail to listen to their own emotions. This slowly gets imprinted in their subconscious mind and becomes a "monkey on their back" during adulthood. However - this can be avoided if we consciously connect to their emotional state, listen to them empathetically, address their questions/actions with calmer responses, show favorable gestures, encourage them to express their feelings, validate their feelings, give small responsibilities and boost their confidence. The writer has highlighted it throughout his book through a series of examples.

[Bard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honour of previewing Gilbert's book while he was still finalising it. Having worked in the intersection of IT and Emotional Intelligence for over 20 years, I found his book to be spot on about its central premise: it's not that highly analytical people lack the capacity to develop their emotional competencies, it's just that you need to give them an analytical framework and rationale to do so.

In this book, Gilbert has found the right concepts, language and framework to appeal to his target audience and beyond. His explanations are clear and concise, his examples convincing, and the exercises easy to follow. I was especially impressed with the personal anecdotes Gilbert liberally sprinkles throughout the book. Those little stories make the book very relatable and provide a great backdrop to the more theoretical segments. They also demonstrate what difference it can make in your personal and professional life to improve your emotional intelligence.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a no-nonsense, logical and clearly structured manual for improving your people skills. For anyone looking to upgrade their brain's operating system, this is a great place to start.

[Ishan Vardhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who is an introvert and often struggles to express opinions, this book has been such a wonderful friend, guide. The author takes you on a journey towards self awareness and emotional intelligence, through very simple examples.

What resonated with me were the practical solutions (explained as simple algorithms), such as becoming more aware of your Batman (bright spots)/Joker (blind spots) algorithms and then consistently working on them.

As someone, who works in data analytics and often has to deal with people with different ways of looking at the same problem, it becomes increasingly important to understand the other person's belief system to solve the problem. This book does exactly that, helps in understanding that in simple, doable steps.

I feel this books deserves to be read, digested slowly and consequently the learnings to be applied in real life.

Go get the book and get better.

[Magnus Gribbestad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that managed to change how I think. The author has an interesting interpretation of how people behave through "algorithms", with the current situation as an input. It really made me think a lot, and different about my own behaviour, and others. The book helped me detect one of my algorithms, and improve it!

The book is focused on:
- Detecting these algorithms (beneficial and harmful) in both yourself and others.
- Optimizing your and others' algorithms; how to give feedback that helps
- How to interact with others, and how to use algorithms to influence others

I really recommend this book as it can help everybody detect and stop harmful behaviour, and detect and improve beneficial behaviour. One of the key points for me with this book was how he can help you to understand other people better, and benefit from it when wanting to create an impact or influence others.

[Neema · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soft Skills are no more underrated. It is one of the mandatory skills for being a good analyst or data science professional. Over the course of our professional journey, we will be in a situation to communicate/deliver results to the business clients/stakeholders and that's when our soft skill plays a vital role in our project success.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of the contents the book provides. The book is itself a lifesaver to those who want to develop effective communication. This book should not be read once and shelved but needs to be carried along as a communication bible for analytical thinkers. My review is 5/5.

https://neemaunni.wixsite.com/mysite/...

[Matthias Qasim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re in need for a book that approaches people skills differently, fitting the systematic mind, look no further. The writer made a great effort in balancing theory, exercise and real-life examples to create a journey for everyone willing to learn.

I found this book helpful since it acknowledges the specific barriers we face when we want to achieve something that involves effective interaction and influence of others while strengthening the relationship.

After reading it my illusion of being self-aware was gone. It made me realize how much I could learn. I therefore feel the need to revisit parts of the book again when I’ve got a challenge ahead.

[Sabyasachi Sengupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

People skill for Analytical thinker is a refreshing book that reminds us on use can use our emotions and soft side to make a greater impact. The best of the book it's tangible advise things I can and will implement in my workday starting today. The principles, the exercises and the vivid pictures make the book very engaging. I love the touch of humour, especially the frequent use of the word "Emotional elephant". The chapter on Influence is my favourite, really good examples of how to influence people (without manipulating them). I highly recommend the book to every analytical thinkers and Sheldons, as this book will enrich your EQ."

[Don't Stop Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5 stars. The book presents solid ideas and concepts, but is hindered by several issues.

Pros:

1. The provided framework is insightful and applicable to daily life, enhancing interpersonal skills.
2. The book is a quick read, with visual aids to illustrate ideas and concepts.
3. Each chapter is short and easily scannable, allowing for efficient reading.

Cons:

1. The writing lacks depth and fails to captivate the reader. It took a few days for me to regain interest and complete the book.
2. The book feels like a compilation of interconnected short articles rather than a cohesive work specifically designed as a book.

[Erik Visser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has given me an in-depth understanding of emotional intelligence and communication between people. Through various tools described in this book I have started to communicate smarter and developed a better understanding of my colleagues. This book is unique because it bridges the gap between rational and emotional thinkers. It is described practically and is easy to read. Highly recommended for any modern organization to better connect people and work together smarter, faster and with more fun.

[Andre Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be way more concise. Author seemed like an awkward person who broke through most of his social skills barriers yet still isn’t quite there.

I appreciate that the author was consciously trying not to give advice that would result in awkward or manipulative actions but I think there’s still some of these negative elements if you followed the book to the letter without giving it your own thought.

Overall the content was an easy read, there was some value in the advice. I would only recommend this to people who really need it read it.

[Jeroen Van de kerkhof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical solution to relatable problems

I started reading this book because I know the author personally and was curious to read his first book. I am impressed with how open he is about his own experiences which is also the strength of this book. It’s stuffed with good (personal) examples which makes the theory stick. Thanks for the lessons Gilbert! Next beers on me in exchange for some more tips ;)

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discover your personal algorithms!

I loved the analogy from this book: your behavior is the output of *your algorithms*. This book helped me discover my own algorithms and the algorithms of other people.
By collecting data, pieces of information about myself and others, I improved my people skills a lot.

Now I'm much better at explaining my analysis, asking good questions, and giving impactful presentations.

This book is not only insightful, also fun to read! Highly recommended.

[Rik Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always considered myself an analytical thinker, so when I saw the tile of the book I was immediately intrigued. I really enjoyed reading the book. The examples and real life experiences Gilbert uses are recognizable for me. This helped me a lot in making the step from reading the book to implementing the lessons in real life. I would definitely recommend it!

[Mella Liang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is easy to read but very effective in improving my mindset on how to interact with myself and others. My favorite part was about how the mind consists of a stubborn elephant and a analytic rider.

[Igor Ristovski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book that marked 2020 for me and made it great.
Very easy to read, interesting and useful not only for leaders but for anyone interested in improving their communication and conversation skills.

[Jose Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book verified I was an analytical thinker because of how easy it was to digest. The concepts are interesting with a lot of detailed examples; so you can apply them in the real world immediately.

[Harkamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Improve your people interactions

Good read to improve both work and personal interactions with people. Helps you improve your own behaviour while having crucial conversations bkth at work and outside world.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good overview of the way to handle thinking about people's behavior as algorithms that can help you take all the social variables that go into conversations.

[Mohammed Hemeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to express that this book is really great and affects me and touches my rider and elephant minds.

[Srinivasan Nanduri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new! Just an engineers take on the regular self help stuff.

[Mary Foxe · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF.