These are the books and other resources I've found helpful so far in learning about interpersonal political communication. I intend to update and add to this list as my study progresses.

Please let me know, in the comments section, about any other books or resources you can recommend.

Political messaging

George Lakoff is headmaster in the school of political communication for American progressives. A cognitive scientist, he has written numerous books. I have read only one so far, The Political Mind: A Cognitive Scientist's Guide to Your Brain and its Politics. Check out his YouTube videos; the man knows how to talk. 

Frank Luntz is headmaster in the school of political communication for the American right wing.  So far, I have read only magazine articles, but his 2007 Words That Work is in my queue.

Progressive values

George Lakoff among others believes that progressives' tendency to chatter on about facts without framing our values is one reason we've been losing ground. But talking values and morals seems so, well, holier-than-thou, doesn't it? Garrison Keillor shows us how. His 2004 Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America is a fun read that will get you firmly centered on the values that shape progressive political positions, "starting with the idea of don't take all the cookies even though no one else is looking. Think about the others."

Compassion

Karen Armstrong is a world-renowned religious scholar who was awarded a TED prize and used it to start an international compassion movement, the Charter for Compassion. (Go to that website and sign. Right now.) Heavily influenced by all major wisdom traditions (a term I prefer to 'religions,' when I focus on their teachings rather than their ethnic, tribal, or organizational nature), Armstrong writes in a way that is accessible to people of any or no religious background. Her 2010  Twelve Steps to A Compassionate Life is a beautifully written and practical approach to living more compassionately around the clock. The whole book is a treasure, but Chapter 8 "How Shall We Speak to One Another?" is most germane to the topic of effective interpersonal political communication. 

Communication among citizens in a democracy

Parker Palmer is an educator and founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal. His 2011 book, Healing the Heart of Democracy is an exploration of the nature of democracy that is so beautifully written it approaches poetry in places. Read it to understand, down to your bone marrow, why progressive citizens need to reach out to our right-wing fellow citizens to restore civil civic discourse in America.

Compassionate communication

Marshal Rosenberg  developed a system for what he calls nonviolent communication or NVC, and what others (including me) prefer to call compassionate communication. He and his followers have a cottage industry in books and workshops that teach skills for connecting humanely with others in situations fraught with tension, hurt, anger, or even danger.  The basic book explaining the NVC approach is Nonviolent Communication: A Language for Life. In brief, the method relies upon recognition that all humans have the same set of basic needs (for belonging, respect,etc.); that certain predictable emotions arise when these needs are not met (fear, disgust, sorrow, etc.); that we choose different strategies to meet our needs; and that awareness and acknowledgement of our own and others' needs creates a solid basis for effective communication. I strongly recommend enrolling in an NVC workshop, if you can find one near you.

Angry and abusive people

Steven Stosny's work focuses mainly on emotionally abusive family relationships, but his techniques for dealing with angry people are useful in other situations. The messages of many who write in the area of domestic abuse and anger management boil down to a simple "leave" for the abused person and "stop it" for the abuser--if the abuser is addressed at all.  Stosny maintains a more humane and empathetic approach to the angry person and in doing so finds and explains ways to avoid getting upset by another's anger and to respond to it. His book is Love Without Hurt, 2008.

Persuasion

Michael Maslansky is partner with Frank Luntz (see above) in a right-wing political and business consulting firm. However, his 2011 The Language of Trust is a reasonably apolitical how-to book about persuasive communication techniques in what he calls today's "post-trust era." The book focuses primarily, though not exclusively, on business public relations and sales, but many of the concepts are useful in neighbor-to-neighbor conversations where trust is not fully present. For example, in one of his examples, he goes into some detail about how to convince a right-winger of the importance of health insurance reform.

Negotiation

It's been so long since I read Roger Fisher and William Ury's Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (original 1981; 2nd edition 1991) and Fisher and Scott Brown's Getting Together: Building Relationships as We Negotiate (1989) I'm hesitant to write many specifics here. I can tell you this: 20 years ago, those books changed the way I conversed with others, and I'd bet that every difficult conversation I've had since was favorably affected.