In You’re All Talk, linguist Rob Drummond explores the enormous diversity in our spoken language to reveal extraordinary insights into how humans operate: how we perceive (and judge) other people and how we would like ourselves to be perceived. He investigates how and why we automatically associate different accents with particular social characteristics – degrees of friendliness, authority, social class, level of education, race, and so on – and how we, consciously or subconsciously, change the way we speak in order to create different versions of ourselves to fit different environments.

Ultimately, You’re All Talk demonstrates the beauty of linguistic diversity and how embracing it can give us a better understanding of other people – and ourselves.

From neurons to nations, Talking Heads is a stunning survey of the science of human connection and communication

We are social animals and talking is part of what makes us human.

But what purpose does conversation serve? In this revelatory tour of talking, neuroscientist Shane O’Mara explores why we communicate, what happens in our brains when we do it, and what it means for us as individuals, groups and societies.

How do our thoughts, memories, and conversations change our brains? What does it mean that we spend most of our thinking lives in a five-minute bubble around the present moment? Why does our sense of self solidify with age, even as we grow more forgetful? In what ways do we imagine futures together? And how do our nations begin as conversations?

Moving from the personal to the social and ultimately towards a radical new perspective on the defining phenomenon of our times, populist nationalism, this is the story of how conversation builds the worlds around us – and how, together, we can talk our way into a better tomorrow.

‘Invaluable … Fascinating’ David Crystal, author of Let’s Talk

I’m starting a service . . . available for any situation in which all you want is a person to be there. Maybe there’s a restaurant you want to go to, but you feel awkward going on your own.
Maybe a game you want to play, but you’re one person short.
Or perhaps you’d like someone to keep a space in the park for your cherry blossom viewing party . . .

Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told by his boss that he contributed nothing to the company he worked for and that it made no difference whether he showed up or not. He began to wonder whether a person who ‘does nothing’ could still have value and a place in the world. Perhaps he could turn ‘doing nothing’ into a service? With one tweet, Rental Person was born.

Morimoto, aka Rental Person, provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. He is dependable, non-judgmental and committed to remaining a stranger and the curious encounters he shares are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.

In Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Morimoto chronicles his extraordinary experiences in his unique line of work and reflects on how we consider relationships, jobs and family in our search for meaningful connection and purpose in life.

‘If you want to become a better leader, read this book’ Eddie Jones

‘An extraordinary read for any leader. Truly brilliant‘ General Stanley McChrystal, author of Team of Teams

‘Excellent. Offers proven tools and strategies’ Matthew Syed
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The Habit of Excellence is a unique insight into British Army leadership, explaining what makes it unique, what makes it so effective and what civilians can take from it to become better leaders themselves. Drawing on the latest research in military history, business, sociology, psychology and behavioural science, and with compelling illustration from British Army operations across the centuries, Lt Col Langley Sharp MBE goes beyond the latest leadership fads to distil into one peerlessly authoritative work the essence of leading and leadership from one of the world’s most revered institutions.
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‘Excellent. It’s hard to see how any leader, whatever their field, wouldn’t benefit from reading and rereading it‘ New Statesman

‘Offers lessons for all managers‘ Financial Times

‘Valuable in any walk of life‘ General Sir Mike Jackson, former Chief of the General Staff

‘Very readable. I could not recommend this exceptional book more‘ General The Lord David Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff

‘Comprehensive and clearly written’ Karin von Hippel, Director-General of RUSI

‘Terrific. Full of insights and lessons‘ General David Petraeus, former Director of the CIA

‘An extraordinary read for any leader. Truly brilliant‘ General Stanley McChrystal, author of Team of Teams

‘Offers proven tools and strategies … This excellent book challenges popular assumptions about British Army leadership, revealing what makes it the “gold standard”‘ Matthew Syed, author of Rebel Ideas

‘If you want to become a better leader, read this book’ Eddie Jones, England rugby union coach
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The British Army stands or falls on the quality of its leadership. The stakes couldn’t be higher. In The Habit of Excellence, Lieutenant Colonel Langley Sharp MBE – head of the Centre for Army Leadership, part of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst – distils over three centuries of the Army’s experience in the art, science and practice of leadership.

Exploring questions that are fundamental to leadership in any area of life – how to build trust and cohesion, achieve a balance between control and delegation, and deliver results in the face of adversity – the book draws on Lt Col Sharp’s own experience and the latest research in military history, business, sociology, psychology and behavioural science. We see that leadership is not about the heroic exception, but the habitual practice of doing what is right, difficult and necessary every single day to build a team, look after the people in it and work towards the next objective.

This is the first time one of the world’s most revered institutions has given an inside and institutional view on what makes its leadership so effective. Going far beyond the latest leadership fads, The Habit of Excellence is for any leader committed to maximising the effectiveness of their teams and unlocking the potential of their people – and themselves.
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‘Excellent. It’s hard to see how any leader, whatever their field, wouldn’t benefit from reading and rereading it‘ New Statesman

‘Offers lessons for all managers‘ Financial Times

‘Valuable in any walk of life‘ General Sir Mike Jackson, former Chief of the General Staff

‘This very readable book uncovers the skills and qualities that have made Sandhurst a byword for effective leadership. I could not recommend this exceptional book more‘ General The Lord David Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff

‘Comprehensive and clearly written, and provides valuable lessons for soldiers and civilians alike‘ Karin von Hippel, Director-General, RUSI

‘A terrific book – one that is full of insights and lessons that will be of enormous value to leaders in all fields!‘ General David Petraeus, former Director of the CIA

Demanding More is THE diversity and inclusion book you need to read. Moving beyond HR speak, this book clearly explains what diversity and inclusion are and what it means in the everyday experience of millions of people, both at work and in life. Sheree Atcheson, Global Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Peakon and ex Monzo, draws on her experience as a young woman of colour in an overly white male tech environment; she lives and breathes the issues she writes about. In Demanding More, she calls out the lack of awareness around privilege, unchecked and unconscious biases and details what intersectionality does to feelings of discrimination and disadvantage.

Arguing that the best strategy for us all to adopt is allyship, where we all take ownership of the issues and stand up to bias or discrimination, this book will give us all tools and strategies to action every day, making us accountable to delivering change around us.

Hear me out. Does this sound like you?
You end a team meeting and can’t recall a single thing that was said.
You leave a conversation with a friend feeling disconnected and unfulfilled.
You think you and your boss are on the same page, only to find out you haven’t been meeting expectations.

Fortunately, listening, like any communication skill, can be improved, and Ximena Vengoechea can show you how. As a user researcher, she has spent nearly a decade facilitating hundreds of conversations at LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest. It’s her job to uncover the truth behind how people use, and really think about, her company’s products. In Listen Like You Mean It, she reveals the tips and tricks of the trade, including:

– How to quickly build rapport with strangers
– Which questions help people unlock what they need to say
– When it’s time to throw out the script entirely
– How to recover from listener’s drain

When we take care of our people, our people will take care of us. They will help see that our cause becomes a reality.

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, internationally bestselling author of Start With Why, investigates these great leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don’t just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business and government – each putting aside their own interests to protect their teams.

‘Simple and elegant, it shows us how leaders should lead’ William Ury, co-author of Getting to Yes