That being said it was an easy read and some of the stories were fun to go through, but if you are looking for ways to have better conversations this isn’t the book. Worryingly good'' Jeremy Vine'An insightful, important read' Stacey Dooley'A genuinely brilliant broadcaster' Matthew Syed'Fascinating and thought-provoking' Jane Fallon'Informed, open-minded, fair, astute, caring and funny' Ricky Gervais 'A grand theory of conversation' Dan Snow'The conversation king' Laura Whitmore . He doesn't put his ego in the way but acts as a tour guide using his vast talent from honing his career on the radio.

Broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake helped me through lockdown; I’d often sit listening to his interviews on his BBC Radio 5 Live show when my social interaction and conversation topics were limited! We have a great resource as part of the bibliography at the back, and I would like to read the conversations too! It reads like an essay, or perhaps a dissertation in 277 pages: introducing the subject, taking the reader through the history of conversation, and then interviews with some 'conversation experts' including a police negotiator, politician in the Northern Ireland peace process, film maker, clinical psychologist and TV chat show host.From tracing the evolution of dialogue to discovering what lights up in the brain when we're enjoying a good discussion, Nihal speaks to the experts - from the board room to the criminal courts - to find why good conversation has eroded over time and how we can fix it. 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.

Nihal’s writing is engaging as his interviews, bringing us a book that covers a range of topics including The Evolution of Communication, The Mechanics of Communication. 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. 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. 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.It is entirely from the heart, an impassioned please for more meaningful conversation amid this era of online squabbling and all too easy animosity. 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. But by the end, after much repitition, it became clear to me that good conversation means listening a lot more. With insights from ‘professional conversationalists’ from various sectors, this is a thoughtful read with some practical takeaways on how to have better conversations. This is the first time I have come across a book like this, which brings together an authority in conversation (in my opinion) alongside an eclectic mix of experts, and psychological theories, combined with celebrity opinion.