Listen: A powerful new book about life, death, relationships, mental health and how to talk about what matters – from the Sunday Times bestselling author ... to Find the Words for Tender Conversations

Product Information

For me – well-known as a person of (inadvertently) little tact, but generally good intentions – it was extremely useful, and I hope I can put many of her suggestions into practice. In particular:

Instead, focus on listening to the other person. Listen, not to reply, but to understand. It sounds so simple, and yet it is the single most powerful thing you can do. Create a safe space, where the other person feels that they can speak their heart and be really heard. We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is not me, this is not my dilemma, this is not my sorrow. If I’m truly empathic I will understand how great the sorrow is for that other person, but it’s still not mine. It’s theirs,” says Kathryn.Kathryn Mannix is our modern-day prophet … This is an essential book for anyone interested in themselves and their fellow humans’Greg Wise -

I loved reading Crucial Conversations (by Kerry Patterson) a few years ago which talked about the practicalities of communicating well so people understand each other and can work well together. This one is just as brilliant, and focuses more simply on humanity. How do we break the worst kind of news to someone? How do we sit alongside someone who’s going through some tough stuff? How do we encourage our friends and family members to talk about the things that really matter without trying to fix or coerce or diminish what they’re experiencing in that moment? Getting communication right makes the difference that can make people feel heard, to understand themselves better and to encourage positive change for the future.By asking curious questions during tender conversations we can seek, explore and clarify information. People sometimes continue to talk to someone they’ve lost as if they are still there. It doesn’t mean they don’t realise they’re dead, or that they’re not processing the loss. It can simply be comforting ritual. Our goal in becoming mindful listeners is to quiet the internal noise to allow the whole message and the messenger to be understood…listening is a gift we give to others. Actually, my contribution to them is my time, my listening, my kindness, my determination to not get in the way offering my own fixes that are not the right fixes for that person.” It’s OK to take comfort from talking to someone who has died Stories help us to make sense of the world, and our experiences within it, from a very young age. Sometimes things go round and round in our head, and we can’t make sense of them; we can’t get hold of the threads and tease them out. But as soon as someone engages us in a conversation in which we can explain our dilemma – and plant it out, one stepping stone at a time in front of us – they help us.

The book’s greatest strength is not just the information it shares, but the pure humanity it shows; the halting, fearful, imperfect conversations between people who are all doing their best and sometimes not getting it right. The gems of wisdom apply to all situations, whether someone is at the end of their life or has had a bad day at work … Compassionate, warm and wise’The Times - Her book comes out at a very important time as so many have had to face ideas of mortality with the pandemic, when there are many more unwell people right now and when increasingly people are struggling with their mental health. The book is told mostly through a series of case studies that range from conversations with relatives, patients, friends and strangers too. Our own anxieties and agendas crowd into our minds, and they distract us from the task of communicating.

Her book comes out at a very important time as so many have had to face ideas of mortality with the pandemic, when there are many more unwell people right now and when increasingly people are struggling with their mental health. The book is told mostly through a series of case studies that range from conversations with relative