Winning Minds: Secrets From the Language of Leadership

by Simon Lancaster

Overview

Shhh . Did you know there is a secret Language of Leadership: a timeless set of cues and signals that still determines who reaches the top in politics and business today. The ancient Greeks were the first to study the art of communication 2,500 years ago. It is only now, with recent breakthroughs in neuroscience, that we can say for sure what works and how. In Winning Minds, top speechwriter Simon Lancaster blends ancient rhetoric and neuroscience to create the definitive guide to the Language of Leadership. With trust in business and political leaders at record lows, there's never been a better time for a fresh perspective on communication. Winning Minds is packed with insights into the effects of metaphors, stories, and sound bites on the brain. We know what the brain looks like on heroin. This book shows the brain on Branson, Obama, and Boris.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781137465924
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	08/01/2015
Edition description:	1st ed. 2015
Pages:	226
Sales rank:	1,140,299
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Simon Lancaster is one of the world's top speechwriters. He first became a speechwriter in the late 1990s, working for members of Tony Blair's Cabinet. Today, he writes speeches for the CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the world, including Unilever, HSBC and Intercontinental Hotels. Simon is a visiting lecturer at Henley Business School, Cass Business School and Cambridge University. He writes regular columns for Total Politics and The Guardian, as well as providing expert commentary for the BBC and Sky News. His award-winning workshops in the 'Language of Leadership' have been run to great acclaim across the world.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: THE INSTINCTIVE MIND
Metaphors that move minds
The Look of Leadership
Empathy and the power of nice
Smiles and humour
Inner purpose
Breathing
Style
What's in a name?

PART TWO: THE EMOTIONAL MIND
Stories and emotion
Personal stories
Creating cultures
Harnessing history
The value of values
Flattery and love
Great words we love
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
The eternal power of exaggeration

PART THREE: THE LOGICAL MIND
Threes! Threes! Threes!
Balance
Rhyme or reason
Power of Perspective
Think of a number
Brevity

Editorial Reviews

'Simon Lancaster is a polymath excellent civil servant, brilliant speech writer, talented musician, and fantastic author. If you want to understand why this description breeches the rhetorical device of tricolon, read this wonderful book.'

-Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, former Home Secretary

"From substance to style, Winning Minds is an excellent insight into the language of leadership written in the clear yet humorous way that is Simon's hallmark."

-Richard Solomons, CEO, Intercontinental Hotels Group plc

'Simon's book unlocks the secret of how to be a world class communicator and leader in a book that is as entertaining as it is packed with know-how.'

-Darren Childs, Chief Executive Officer, UKTV

'If you need people to care as much as you care, to be moved as much as you are moved and to give as much as you give, read this simple, clear, and effective book.'

-Adrienne Kelbie, Chief Executive, Disclosure and Barring Service

'Winning Minds lays bare with shocking clarity the simple techniques that great communicators use to manipulate our emotions. Give them a go and unleash your hidden leader!'

-Peter Wanless, CEO, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

'This brilliant business book is filled with powerful stuff that will change the way you 'think' about language and the way you 'do' leadership. Simon's superb style is somewhere between serious boardroom discussion and a cosy fireside chat. Massively entertaining. Hugely useful. Thoroughly recommended.'

-Mark Swain, Director, Henley Business School

From the Publisher