Do your disagreements always escalate into rows? Do you have to deal with an angry spouse, a difficult teenager, unfocused colleagues or a stressed boss? In this uniquely practical guide to good conversation, communications expert Rob Kendall draws on 20 years plus of study and coaching experience to reveal:

• How survival instincts take over and derail conversations at the worst moments

• How to avoid conversations escalating into destructive arguments

• How to prepare for and conduct challenging conversations

• How to avoid defensiveness and emotional lockdown

• How to read the warning signals that a conversation is going off-track

This is the most accessible in-depth book about communication on the market, using case studies and and exceptionally clear page design to dissect examples of problematic conversations, as well as easy-to-absorb concepts such as the Bad Place and the Lock Down. Short digestible chapters look at all the conversational scenarios you will encounter, showing how to have rewarding interactions with everyone in your life – including your colleagues, boss, neighbours, parents and children. Through his coaching work, Rob has used the techniques in Blamestorming to help many thousands of people from all walks of life – now you too can benefit from his simple yet highly effective approach.