One book that came up recently on another thread ( and probably quite a few others as it is written by a YC founder) is "The mom test". I just read it recently

One book that came up recently on another thread ( and probably quite a few others as it is written by a YC founder) is "The mom test". I just read it recently, and it is really good! it has an emphasis towards tech people but the advice is applicable to everyone. It essentially guides you to be very clear about what what you want to get out of your interactions with people, avoid people giving you misleading information ( like "wow, great product" when they aren't really interested but don't want to discourage you ), recognizing real commitment from people vs niceties, and having a conversation strategy that leads to good info.