Let's Talk: How to Have Better Conversations

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Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. I read this at the same time as Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers and despite the books being on a similar topic/approach, this is hands down the better of the two. And according to the residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa - the world's longest-living people - finding it is the key to a longer and more fulfilled life.

This book was on my to-read list the minute I heard it was due to be published in the summer of 2022.It is entirely from the heart, an impassioned please for more meaningful conversation amid this era of online squabbling and all too easy animosity. Now Caine delves into the real stories behind the gangs we think we know so well, revealing the hidden realities behind the myths.

The audiobook reflects Rhonda’s own journey and shares the most direct way out for those experiencing hardship and the path to end pain and suffering endured by so many, and it shines a light on a future without anxiety or fear.That’s the argument of Nihal Arthanayake, acclaimed interviewer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 5 Live, who has spent years trying to understand what makes for a great conversation. Within the chapter “Conversations in Extremis” we are given insights into conversations with Paramilitaries, Neo-Nazis and Hostage Negotiation; where people with opposing views still find a way to communicate. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived.

He wants to know what it really means to have a 'great conversation' and, most importantly, how he can teach us to have better interactions in our everyday lives. A self-declared passion project which reminds a great radio presenter and his audience that we have two ears, should be curious and find common ground with enemies. Do you feel weighed down by stress and pressure, held back by judgement and lack of opportunity, and critcised by everyone – including yourself?

I enjoyed the fact that the author narrated the audiobook himself and it featured snippets of his interviews with some of the interesting people he talks to at work. From tracing the evolution of dialogue to discovering what lights up in the brain when we’re enjoying a good discussion, Nihal speaks to conversational authorities including Lorraine Kelly, former president of Ireland Mary McAleese, Professor Tanya Byron, internationally bestselling author Johann Hari, Matthew Syed, and many more, to find out why good conversation has eroded over time and how we can fix it. In August 2022 he came to Intelligence Squared to discuss his new book Let’s Talk, which explores the evolution of dialogue and the science behind stimulating conversation. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.