Introduction: Who Is This Book For? Have you ever searched for something interesting to say, wondered how to make new friends, or suffered from social anxiety? You aren’t alone. There are millions of other people in your shoes. [1] Heck, I used to have similar problems. These days I can talk to almost anyone and handle everyday social situations with ease. However, it’s been a long jo…
In his seminal study of Public Opinion Walter Lippmann observed that the practice of democracy had ‘turned a corner’ (1954, p. 248). The democratic process, it seemed to him four years after the end of the First World War had, to an extent unprecedented in human history, come to incorporate selfconscious strategies of persuasion by political actors. The gradual extension since the earl…
In 2003, the American Management Association asked its members what skills go to make an effective leader. Number one skill – way ahead of the others – was communication (84 per cent). Interestingly, numbers two and three – motivating others (56 per cent) and team-building (46 per cent) – also rely on effective communication. What’s more, 60 per cent of executives who resp…