The Art of Conversation
Catherine Blyth
The Art of Conversation
Every day we use our mobiles and computers to communicate, but ironically we are losing touch with face-to-face talk. Catherine Blyth reveals the endless possibilities of conversation and shows that when it works it can come close to heaven. With examples from Elizabeth I to Tommy Cooper, courtesans to nomads, The Art of Conversation is full of tips on listening, talking shop and surviving conversational bores. Be it sharing a joke with a stranger, sparking a new idea or just letting off steam with a friend, there are infinite adventures to be had if you break the ice and say hello . . .
3.5 out of 5 based on 1 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Family & Lifestyle |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
304 |
| RRP |
£12.99 |
| Date of Publication |
November 2008 |
| ISBN |
978-0719521812 |
| Publisher |
John Murray |
| |
Every day we use our mobiles and computers to communicate, but ironically we are losing touch with face-to-face talk. Catherine Blyth reveals the endless possibilities of conversation and shows that when it works it can come close to heaven. With examples from Elizabeth I to Tommy Cooper, courtesans to nomads, The Art of Conversation is full of tips on listening, talking shop and surviving conversational bores. Be it sharing a joke with a stranger, sparking a new idea or just letting off steam with a friend, there are infinite adventures to be had if you break the ice and say hello . . .
Reviews
The Observer
Elizabeth Day
“Blyth is at her best when casually revealing valuable nuggets of information. In a section on the value of silence, we learn that when Solon, the founder of Athenian democracy, was asked to remove the best and worst bits of a sacrificed animal in a test of wits, he selected a single item: the tongue. Sometimes, the book's structure feels unnecessarily limiting, as if it could not quite decide whether to be a self-help manual or a chatty polemic of the Eats, Shoots and Leaves variety. There are sporadic attempts to reduce complex and subtle ideas to an equation, such as 'Attention + Interest = Conversation' or 'Incongruity x Credulity = Surprise!' as if we are sitting through a powerpoint presentation at a motivational management seminar. This sits uneasily with Blyth's natural tone of elegant drollery.”
09/11/2008
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