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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.
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Praise for Winning Minds “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 “In this friendly, accessible, and highly entertaining account of leaders’ language, Simon Lancaster demonstrates many of the features of persuasive speaking in the actual style of his writing: clear, concise, and humorous. Winning Minds wins us over by finding an adroit balance between erudition and story-telling, so that fascinating insights from neuroscience are blended with amusing anecdotes from his own experience in the world of speechwriting.” –Jonathan Charteris-Black, Professor of Linguistics, University of the West of England “Winning Minds is an important resource for all engaged in corporate communication and for anyone else who wants to be able to tell the difference between leaders and misleaders.” –Prof J. Powell and Prof. L Rubinstein, Centre for Oratory and Rhetoric, Royal Holloway, University of London “Simon is a gifted facilitator of executive workshops who has successfully brought his techniques to life in this engaging, challenging and inspiring book.” –Professor Clive Holtham, Cass Business School Se La cre ng ts ua Fro ge m of th Le e ad er sh ip Winning Minds Simon Lancaster pre.indd iii 5/28/2015 6:43:59 PM © Simon Lancaster 2015 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted