The Four Ways to Read People

Rapport

A breakout pop psychology book from the world experts on interrogation techniques

Laurence Alison is one of my academic heroes. He does what every writer longs to do. He makes the difficult clear – without losing his rigour.

They are quietly revolutionising the study and practice of interrogation… Their findings are changing the way law enforcement and security agencies approach the delicate and vital task of gathering human intelligence.

Rapport is fantastic at helping us to understand other people, and showing how we can work with them to increase our own cognitive power

Hannah Critchlow, author of The 21st-Century Brain

Learn how to read people, build trust and handle even the most difficult conversations with confidence. 
 
'Laurence Alison is one of my academic heroes ... He makes the difficult clear – without losing his rigour.' Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Outliers 
 
'Fantastic’ Hannah Critchlow, bestselling author of 21st Century Brain 
 
All of us have to deal with difficult people. Whether we're asking our neighbour to move a fence or our boss for a pay rise, we can struggle to avoid arguments and get what we want. 
 
Leading forensic psychologists Laurence and Emily Alison specialise in the most difficult interactions imaginable: criminal interrogations. They advise and train the police, security agencies, the FBI, and the CIA on how to deal with extremely dangerous suspects when the stakes are high. 
 
After 30 years' work – and unprecedented access to 2,000 hours of terrorist interrogations – they have developed a groundbreaking model of interpersonal communication. This deceptively simple approach to handling any encounter works as well for teenagers as it does for terrorists. 
 
In Rapport, they reveal the four communication styles that shape every interaction: Control (the Lion), Capitulate (the Mouse), Confront (the Tyrannosaur) and Co-operate (the Monkey). As soon as you understand these styles and your own goals, you can shape any conversation. And you'll be closer to the real secret: how to create instant rapport. 
 
Combining cutting-edge psychology with real-world case studies, Rapport offers a practical framework for:<ul><li>Reading people more accurately </li><li>Building trust and connection </li><li>Influencing conversations positively </li><li>Managing conflict and difficult personalities </li><li>Improving communication at work and at home </li><li>Negotiating more effectively </li><li>Developing stronger personal and professional relationships</li></ul> 
Insightful, accessible and backed by decades of research, Rapport will change the way you understand human behaviour - and help you get the best from every conversation.

Laurence Alison

Neil Shortland

A highly readable and entertaining book... The authors have managed the trick of applying their work with military and security professionals to the high-consequence choices people face in everyday life. This is a thought-provoking and stimulating contribution.

Gary Klein, author of Seeing What Others Don't and The Power of Intuition

How to make the choices your life depends on

Should I change careers? Is it time to end my relationship? Can I move halfway across the world? 
 
 We have to make choices everyday, big and small, but it's the life-changing ones that often cause us to freeze or react too quickly, without thinking. What can we do differently? 
 
Laurence Alison and Neil Shortland have spent over 20 years helping soldiers, police officers, doctors and other professionals in high-stakes environments make tough decisions when lives are on the line. In Decision Time, they show us how those same decision-making techniques apply to everyday life, whether that's deciding to take a new job or change career later in life, end a relationship, move across the world or declaring your undying love for your best friend. 
 
With tips, studies, interviews and observations from their training with police officers together with role-play scenarios for you to try, this book will help you identify and fight off the common enemies of good decision-making - inertia, procrastination and indecision - and empower you to make the choices that matter the most. 
 
Highly accessible and interactive, Decision Time will guide you through each step of the decision-making process so next time you a find yourself at the crossroads, you'll be able to make your way with confidence.

Laurence Alison

Books by Laurence Alison

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