Let's Talk: How to Have Better Conversations

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In some ways this is very similar to some of the other books that I have read more recently, in that this requires concentration and provokes introspection, and a desire to continue to develop. The overarching message for all these sub-chapters was to find someone willing to listen; find a common ground and slowly build trust.

When you see a true master of verbal communication, remember that these are learned behaviours, not something innate which you are either born with or not. Let’s Talk blends Nihal’s experiences as an acclaimed interviewer with expert opinion on the secrets and psychology behind successful communication. When the lesson is to actually listen to other people in conversation I, sadly, need frequent reminders. Whilst as a society we can benefit from instant messaging through text and WhatsApp, we are primed to hear rather than see. He won interviewer of the year for the BBC Radio and Music Awards and his first book is Let's Talk: How to Have Better Conversations.The most valuable conversations themselves are spaces where the participants give over a part of themselves to each other to explore, illuminate and connect" Nihal makes communication natual and accessible to all. Part how-to and part manifesto, Let's Talk is Nihal's accessible, anecdotal and invigorating toolkit to having better conversations with anyone, any time. When I first heard him interviewing someone, I genuinely thought he had forgotten his train of thought, the pauses and space between the interviewees conversation and his was something I’d never heard on radio before.

And I think thats what the Author wanted to get across from the book and they suceeded surprisingly well. While effective dialogue is supposed to lead to greater fulfilment in our personal and professional lives, all the scientific evidence points towards us sharing fewer interactions than previous generations.

This book is easy to understand, although I would have preferred maybe a few transcripts of the conversations involved, rather than the style this book took with its information, but I guess it got to the heart of the matter of what it wanted to say. In the post-covid world where you are more likely to converse over social media, Teams or chat apps we are losing the art of conversation, Nihal argues.

One of broadcasting's most adept conductors of public conversation, Arthanayake probes what makes for productive discourse in this eye-opening volume committed to enhancing the quality of debate in modern society.That being said, Arthanyake conducted some great interviews for the book and I enjoyed many of his/their insights into conversations and the psychology around the subject. 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. I picked this up because I wanted to learn 'how to have better conversations' as the tag line of the book suggests I would.

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. Part how-to and part manifesto, Let’s Talk is Nihal’s accessible, anecdotal and invigorating toolkit to having better conversations with anyone, any time.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. Host of Today in Focus the Guardian's flagship daily news podcast and one of the top ten most listened to podcasts in the UK.