Conflicted

In our highly connected but increasingly polarised world, where potential conflicts seem to lurk behind every headline, timeline and professional encounter, it’s tempting to seek to coerce, persuade, assuage or smooth over our differences. But Ian Leslie makes a cogent and illuminating argument that in fact, if we are to avoid mediocre, unproductive groupthink, festering resentments and even outright violence, we need to get better at disagreement. Delving into the work of expert communicators – including leading therapists, interrogators and crisis negotiators – Leslie demonstrates how their techniques can help us learn to disagree better, and in doing so, make our work, friendships, marriages and family lives flourish.