All 3 editions now live on Amazon. Adults · Teen · Kids ↓

The Speak Easy Bookshelf

Communication skills
for every kind of mind.

That conversation you're replaying at 2am? Nobody taught us how to do this. Not in school, not at home. Three playbooks, the same 12 core skills, written for Adults, Teens, and Kids.

✓ Adults Edition · Live on Amazon ✓ Teen Edition · Live on Amazon ✓ Kids Edition · Live on Amazon Pro Edition · Coming Soon

The Speak Easy Bookshelf

Three books. One system.

Available now on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback.

Speak Easy: The Communication Playbook for Teens book cover
Teen Edition The Communication Playbook for Teens Ages 13–19 · 128 pages Kindle $6.99 · Paperback $9.99 Get on Amazon ↗
Speak Easy: The Communication Playbook for Kids book cover
Kids Edition The Communication Playbook for Kids Ages 6–12 · 63 pages Kindle $9.99 · Paperback $15.99 Get on Amazon ↗

Choose Your Edition

Written for where you are right now.

Same 12 core skills. Same XP system. Same research. Different voice, different stories, different world.

Adults Edition Ages 25+  ·  110 pages

For adults who were never formally taught communication skills, and are done pretending that's fine. Direct, research-backed, no fluff. Covers the exact moments that matter in an actual week: the interview, the awkward pause, the text you rewrite four times before sending.

Kindle $6.99  ·  Paperback $9.99
Get Adults Edition on Amazon ↗ See all 15 chapters and 9 appendices →
Teen Edition Ages 13–19  ·  128 pages

Same skills. Real talk. Written for teenagers navigating school, friendships, and figuring out who they actually are. Includes chapters on texting, DMs, reading a room, setting limits, and recovering when a moment goes sideways.

Kindle $6.99  ·  Paperback $9.99
Get Teen Edition on Amazon ↗
Kids Edition Ages 6–12  ·  63 pages

Same 12 skills, taught through Peanut the elephant and illustrated exercises. For kids building their voice early. Short chapters, star missions, and stories they'll recognize from the cafeteria, the classroom, and the group chat.

Kindle $9.99  ·  Paperback $15.99
Get Kids Edition on Amazon ↗

Read Before You Buy

Chapter Zero from each edition.

Every edition starts with the same first move. The one that changes everything else that follows it.

Chapter 0 · Adults Edition (Ages 25+)
Say Your Name

Jake was twenty-seven, three minutes from a job interview, rehearsing his own name in a bathroom mirror like it was a foreign word. "Jake." Too quiet. "Jake." Better, but his hand was shaking. He walked into the conference room, shook hands, and when it was his turn to introduce himself, his name came out barely audible, swallowed halfway through.

Nobody in the room reacted badly. Nobody had to. The silence that followed, in his head, lasted a lot longer than it actually did.

That night, at a friend's birthday dinner, something different happened. Someone asked his name, and instead of shrinking it, he said, "Jake. Lover of bad puns, mostly harmless." A couple people actually laughed. Someone repeated it back to him ten minutes later, unprompted. He felt, for the first time that day, actually in the room.

Nugget: Confidence started with four syllables he already owned: his own name, said like it mattered, one true thing attached.

Most people treat their name as a formality, the thing you get through before the real conversation starts. That's backwards. Your name is the first data point anyone has about how much space you're willing to take up.

You don't need a script that sounds like someone else wrote it for you. You need two small moves, in order: Anchor it (say your name at a normal, unhurried pace) and Offer something (one small, true detail attached to your name). That's it. That's the whole formula.

"I'm Priya. I make terrible coffee and I will still offer you some."

Read the full chapter on Amazon ↗
Chapter 0 · Teen Edition (Ages 13–19)
Name Drop: Your Identity, Unfiltered

First day at a new school. Third period. The teacher smiles and says, "Let's go around and introduce ourselves." Your turn is four people away. Three. Two. You can hear your own heartbeat now. When it finally lands on you, you say your name down at the desk, about half of it, and add nothing. "Sorry, what was that?" the teacher says. You say it again, somehow quieter, and it's over.

Two seats down, someone said their name like it was the easiest thing in the world. Added one line (that they're into horror movies) and a couple of people laughed and nodded. Same room. Same thirty seconds. Completely different result.

The difference wasn't confidence they were born with. It was one small thing, and it's a thing you can learn.

Nugget: The person who landed it didn't have more confidence than you. They said their name like it mattered and hooked one true detail onto it. That's the entire move.

Your name is your first move. Say it clearly and land one real thing about yourself, and people lock in. Mumble it and disappear, and you spend the rest of the conversation trying to catch up.

Real examples, all reusable: "I'm Sol. I skate and I make playlists for every mood." "I'm Ren. I draw, and I'm learning guitar (badly)." "I'm Dev. I game, and I speak three languages." None of these are impressive on purpose. They're just true and specific. Specific is what makes a person real to someone who just met them.

Read the full chapter on Amazon ↗
Chapter 0 · Kids Edition (Ages 6–12)
Say Your Name Like You Mean It

It was Peanut's first day at a new school. Her tummy felt like it was full of jumpy frogs. She squeezed her lucky peanut extra hard.

The teacher smiled and said, "Let's all say our names!" Peanut's heart went BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. She wanted to turn into a very small, very quiet rock. When it was finally her turn, she looked at her desk and said her name so quietly it came out like a tiny mouse hiccup. "...peanut." "Sorry, who?" said the teacher. Peanut said it again. Even quieter.

Then a fox two seats over popped up, tall and easy. "I'm Rae! I can wiggle my ears one at a time, and I love spicy noodles." A couple of kids laughed. Rae wiggled one ear to prove it, then sat back down like it was no big deal at all.

Here's the secret, and it's a good one. Rae wasn't braver than Peanut. Rae just knew one move: say your name so people can hear it, then add ONE true thing about you.

"I'm Peanut" is a name. "I'm Peanut, and I'm way stronger than I look" is a person you want to know. See the difference? The second one hands people a door.

How to do it: Stand tall. Say it clear. Add one true thing. Something you like. Something you're into. Something that's just you.

Read the full chapter on Amazon ↗
3
Editions available now
12
Core communication skills
4,400+
XP available across Teen edition
Ages 6+
From kids to adults covered

The 12 Core Skills

What every edition covers.

Same foundation across all three books. The language and stories change. The skills don't.

Skill 0Say Your Name
Skill 1The First Move
Skill 2Listen Like You Mean It
Skill 3Compliments That Land
Skill 4Reading the Vibe
Skill 5Mastering Silence
Skill 6Text Like You Mean It
Skill 7Read the Room
Skill 8End a Conversation Well
Skill 9Boundaries
Skill 10Precision Language
Skill 11The Follow-Up Move

The XP System

You level up by doing, not just reading.

Every chapter has optional challenges worth XP. Five tiers of difficulty. No leaderboard, no pressure. Just a way to track your own progress through real-world reps.

Chill 10 XP
Low stakes. Try the move once.
Brave 25 XP
A real step. Slightly scary, very doable.
Epic 50 XP
A genuine stretch that changes something.
Legend 75 XP
The big ones. You'll feel these.
Social Mode 100 XP
Help someone else learn the move.
Speak Easy: The Communication Playbook for Pros book cover
Coming Early Fall

Speak Easy Pro Edition

The flagship. Built for adults who've already read the basics and want to go deeper: influence, negotiation, high-stakes conversations, the full architecture of how communication actually works at the professional level.

22 Chapters
135K+ Words
Ages 30+ Audience
In development. Join the waitlist at speakeasybooks.com

Free Weekly Tips

One communication tool.
Every week. Free.

One specific, usable insight per week. No fluff. Straight from the research behind the books.

Common Questions

FAQ

How many editions are there?
Three editions are live on Amazon right now: Adults (ages 25+), Teen (ages 13–19), and Kids (ages 6–12). A Pro edition for adults 30+ is in development.
Which edition should I start with?
Pick the one that matches where you are. Adults edition is direct, research-heavy, and built for professional and social situations in your twenties through fifties. Teen edition covers the same skills in the language and situations of high school and early adulthood. Kids edition uses Peanut the elephant and star missions to make the same concepts land for ages 6–12.
Are these the same book with different covers?
No. They cover the same 12 skills, but every story, example, cultural note, and XP mission is written specifically for that age group. The Adults edition doesn't talk down to you. The Kids edition doesn't feel like a watered-down adult book. They're different books.
Are these built for neurodivergent readers?
Yes. Every chapter includes a "Note for Different Kinds of Minds" section written as part of the core content, not an afterthought. The techniques throughout are also designed to work across different social and communication styles.
Where can I buy them?
All three editions are available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback format. Adults · Teen · Kids

Available Now on Amazon

Pick your edition.

Kindle and Paperback. Start reading today.

Adults Edition Ages 25+ · 110 pages Kindle $6.99 · Paperback $9.99 Buy on Amazon ↗
Teen Edition Ages 13–19 · 128 pages Kindle $6.99 · Paperback $9.99 Buy on Amazon ↗
Kids Edition Ages 6–12 · 63 pages Kindle $9.99 · Paperback $15.99 Buy on Amazon ↗

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