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The Art of Explanation

How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence

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The Art of Explanation

By: Ros Atkins
Narrated by: Ros Atkins
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About this listen

 A practical and accessible guide to getting across complex information clearly, by BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos.

Explanation - conveying meaning - is an art. And the BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos, is something of a master of the form. In this book, Ros shares the secrets he has learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself as persuasively and accurately as possible.

Whether you need to articulate your thoughts clearly for business, educational or social purposes, The Art of Explanation is a must-listen for anyone who wants to improve their communication skills.

(P) 2023 Headline Publishing Group Ltd©2023 Ros Atkins Communication & Social Skills Personal Development Science Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Inspiring

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Critic reviews

To watch an Atkins report is akin to observing a watchmaker assemble the inner workings of a timepiece - there's precision, deftness and a calming expertise.
Crisp common sense and beautifully written. Ros is a brilliant communicator and is able to make even the gnarliest subjects crystal clear. (Lorraine Kelly, ITV Presenter)
The shining light that guides us to understanding what on earth is going on in our complicated world! Ros Atkins has that rare quality of appealing to all generations - even teens who don't watch TV News find his explainers on their phones and follow his guidance to the thorny topics of the day. Now they can learn to do that for themselves. The book every parent wants to slide in their teens' direction to equip them for real life. (Sarah Brown, founder and president of Theirworld charity)
A brilliant guide to communication and explanation. This book will make your arguments stand out in the tsunami of information in our world. It's for all those who want their audiences to listen and understand when they write an essay, a presentation or even send a simple email. (Jeremy Bowen, BBC News)
What a gift! One of the UK's great communicators shares his wisdom so we can all explain better. It's an engaging, entertaining and (above all) useful book showing how to unpack, organise, compose and deliver our ideas better. To communicate clearly we must think clearly. This book shows how to do both. (Professor Todd Rogers, Harvard University)
From the journalist whose trademark is concision and clarity comes a manual on how the rest of us can achieve just that. The Art of Explanation is part-memoir, part self-help, and thoroughly informative and enjoyable. (Reeta Chakrabarti)
Public speaking will become far less nerve-wracking after reading this book ... Atkins teaches readers how to best articulate themselves in front of an audience, keep people's attention during a presentation, perform well during an interview, and boost your confidence in general.
A dazzling primer on how we can tell the truth effectively. All the tools you need against misinformation are contained within. (Alan Rusbridger, Editor, Prospect Magazine)
Lucid and detailed ... good advice on memory, presentation and a range of techniques to put forward the best explanations in both verbal and electronic communication.
Ros Atkins does a masterful job of showing you how to be a better communicator in a 'news you can use' book that is interesting, engaging and, ultimately, transformative for readers. (Raju Narisetti, McKinsey Publishing)
This book is incredibly useful to anyone who has to make a persuasive case, illustrated with stories of failures and triumph's from Ros career as a journalist. I thought I knew how to write and present, but this book has already changed the way I communicate. (Vivian Schiller, Aspen Institute)
All stars
Most relevant
I need to listen again because there is a lot of very useful information. But this book gives me hope that I can explain myself better.

That there are clear steps to take towards better explanation

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Fabulous listen. So well articulated and delivered. Like listening to one of Ros’s explainers, I couldn’t turn it off. A lot of content clearly told; much self-deprecation which endears you to the author and makes you more admire the earnest deliberation he gives to his art. Will be standard issue for companies and university students one hopes!

Excellent in content and delivery

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This book has helped me with my presentation skills at work and planning and preparing information. Wish I came across this book sooner. Would highly recommend.

Great book

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A must listen for everyone, disregarding age or current role. Truly exceptional use of simple tools.

Outstanding in every way

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To begin with I didn't think I would enjoy this much. Prejudice! My Prejudice. I persevered until I got used to the voice. Once I'd put my prejudices to one side, the lights came on, and I found it fascinating, enlightning, easy to understand, and dare I say it, excited at the thought of putting it to actual use. so I listened to it again, and now yet again. It's easy to follow, and almost like painting by numbers, but just so much better. You'll enjoy the listen immensely,

Very clear

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