Nihal Arthanayake is an acclaimed broadcaster and TV presenter. He currently presents a daily daytime show on BBC 5 Live, and his unique interviewing style was recently recognised at the BBC Radio and Music Awards where he won Interview of the Year. Nihal can also be heard on the official Penguin Books podcast, interviewing some of the top authors in the UK today, including the likes of Richard Osman and Bernadine Evaristo.
We're not currently in the golden era of conversation - it has either eroded away into emojis or escalated into online wildfires. Nihal is a master of the art of conversation, one of the country's finest and smartest interviewers, and his book is both brilliant and necessary. Read this fascinating book and you'll become a better listener, a better conversationalist and better company -- Adam Kay, bestselling author of This is Going to Hurt A brilliant book on the art of conversation. It is entirely from the heart, an impassioned please for more meaningful conversation amid this era of online squabbling and all too easy animosity. This isn't some half-hearted celeb effort . . . a very impassioned defence of conversation as an art and one of the things that can save and retain our humanity in a world of GIFs and emojis and fifteen second digital dopamine hits. Nihal writes as well as he chats and this book is great -- Matt Haig, bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive Nihal is nothing less than the most intelligent interviewer in British broadcasting, so I had high expectations for his book on conversations, and it doesn't disappoint. It's clever, original, surprising and reading it made me appreciate why he is so good at what he does - he actually listens to the people he consults. A compulsory book for these divided times -- Sathnam Sanghera, bestselling author of Empireland An intriguing exploration of the importance of a proper chinwag by one of our most brilliant broadcasters -- Sara Cox, bestselling author of Till the Cows Come Home You won't want to check your phone while you're reading this. Nihal hits the nail on the head - again, and again, and again. Breaking news: conversation isn't shouting at a crowd on social media. Nihal has rediscovered the art and we are all winners as a result. A terrific book from a terrific broadcaster. Worryingly good -- Jeremy Vine, author of What I Learnt Turns out when he's interviewing all those amazing folk on 5 Live he's taking it all in and constructing a grand theory of conversation -- Dan Snow, host of the History Hit podcast and author of On This Day in History There is no more important task today than improving the conversations we all have. And there is nobody better to guide us than Nihal Arthanayake -- Matthew d'Ancona, author of Post Truth I'd like to say what a great broadcaster Nihal is. Well on his way to becoming a national treasure. Informed, open-minded, fair, astute, caring and funny. A dying breed -- Ricky Gervais An insightful, important read -- Stacey Dooley, bestselling author of On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back A genuinely brilliant broadcaster -- Matthew Syed, bestselling author of Rebel Ideas Fascinating and thought-provoking -- Jane Fallon, author of 11 Sunday Times Top 10 Bestsellers The conversation king -- Laura Whitmore, bestselling author of No One Can Change Your Life Except For You Brilliant in the ear and just as brilliant on the page. Nihal has produced a fascinating, informative and nuanced look at the very nature and need for conversation. To read him is to get a lesson from a master practitioner of the art -- Anita Anand, author of The Patient Assassin