Samantha Hardy

This book is powerful, and essential reading for anyone who works with people in conflict. It will challenge your assumptions about the benefits of taking another’s perspective, and help you identify the limitations of trying to do so. The book provides some very practical insight about where to focus your energy when you are trying […]

“You missed that. Right now, you are missing the vast majority of what is happening around you. You are missing the events unfolding in your body, in the distance, and right in front of you.” With this powerful introduction, you are immediately captivated by this book. I came across this book by accident, as I

This book is a collection of writing by scholars from disciplines including psychology, linguistics, philosophy and neuroscience, about how we try to understand what another person is thinking. It’s a book about mind reading, but not in a mystical sense! Rather it explores how ordinary people try to understand others. The book explores the age

I’m re-posting this book review for people who might have missed the original post late last year. The book is well worth reminding everyone about! This book is about turning struggle into strength. It really connected with me as I saw very strong parallels with one of the fundamental shifts that we aim to support

This book took me a long time to read, because I kept getting bogged down in the statistics side of what they were talking about. I’m not naturally a numbers person! The book is basically about why human beings tend to be poorer than they think at making judgements, and also explains that we tend

This book (to which I have contributed) includes over 80 story-based activities to engage people with the power of story. The book is a terrific resource for consultants, facilitators, educators, change makers and leaders who want to harness the power of story to create positive change in individuals, organisations and communities. The book provides a

A few months ago I posted on social media that all my reading lately had been pretty depressing and negative and I asked for some recommendations for books that would cheer me up! Thanks to Dr Andrew Rixon for recommending this book to me! The premise of this book is that humans are fundamentally good

“How to Listen to Stories”, Chapter 11 in Narrative Coaching by David Drake This chapter provides a very narrative-focused take on listening to people. It’s quite different to the usual “active listening” approach. Drake describes four dimensions of listening: What is happening between the two of you, What is happening in the room, What is

“The lost art of listening”, by Michael Nichols and Marta Straus (2021) This book, now in its third edition, provides a practical and entertaining guide to improve our relationships by learning to listen. It includes four main parts: The yearning to be understood; The real reasons people don’t listen; Getting through to each other; and