Why do some people radiate energy when they speak whilst others fizzle outbefore they've even begun? How do some writers make our hearts race whilstothers make us feel like closing the book? Why are some work colleaguesseemingly more influential, or funnier, than others?

Top speechwriter Simon Lancaster explains that the secret of brilliantcommunication is all about making connections. Whether in speech or in writing, ata networking event or in an email, at work or at home, the best communicators findways of connecting with their audiences. More than that, they are able to connectthe personal with the universal, the past with the present, the abstract with theeveryday, the visual with the verbal, the moral with the mundane. Like hot-wiring acar, connections are able to bypass logic and access our deepest instincts andemotions, generating an instant neurological reaction.

Connect reveals the secret art of making connections in eleven engaging, revelatorychapters. It blends cutting-edge neuroscience with ancient rhetoric and wonderfullyshareable examples from popular culture; and it incorporates exercises to helpwork your own creative muscles, so you can become quicker at making connectionsand finding your own stories, metaphors, analogies and jokes. If you want moresparkle when you speak, more power when you present, more wow when youwrite, then this book will show you the skills to connect with anyone aboutanything, anytime and anywhere.