Her book is not just for the dying and grieving. It is for understanding how to approach every difficult conversion you are avoiding or dreading - with your children, your boss, your neighbour, your best friend or your gym buddy.

Kathryn’s uncle would set a place for his wife who had died and talk to her during mealtimes. “He described to me the comfort he got from talking to her and of ritualising her presence in the house,” she states. He knew his wife was gone, and missed her every day, but when he talked to her, he felt her presence. Like her first book, Listen offers the reader insight and comfort and a useful tool in each individual’s attempt to be supportive when confronted with difficult conversations and situations. I heartily recommend it. In her natural way of story telling, Mannix describes sympathy as expressing concern through a doorway; empathy enters the place of suffering and offers companionship; whereas compassion is the solidarity that seeks the other person's good, for the other person's sake.When you reach a good stopping point, say something like: “There’s lots to talk about. Shall we leave it there and chat again tomorrow/next week?” Listen to understand There is just so much good advice here, so well presented and explained, it would be of great value for anyone to read it – but especially for doctors, nurses, teachers, politicians and clergy. Highly recommended. I recommend ‘Listen’ – and not just for professionals whose duties require them to break bad news. It is for all of us who, at some point, may need to find the words during our own tender conversations. To quote from my review of her first book: “Kathyrn Mannix is not a philosopher who has focused on death and what it means and how to approach it. As a palliative carer her experience has been gained from working on the front line, whether that is in oncology or in other fields for many years. Her wisdom has been honed and perfected, assimilated from colleagues and more importantly from patients and their families.”

Here are five tips she offers to anyone who is faced with leading a challenging conversation. 1. Start with a cup of tea A child coming out to their parent. A family losing someone to terminal illness. A friend noticing the first signs of someone's dementia. A careers advisor and a teenager with radically different perspectives. In ‘Listen: How to find the words for tender conversations’, Dr Kathryn Mannix suggests that while there is no single ‘right way’ to break unwelcome news, there are wrong ways, which are not just about the words we use. Instead of offering a script, Mannix uses stories – some from her own experiences, others fictional – to review and discuss some key principles and skills for those tasked with such difficult conversations. While I am not a medic, I found this book very helpful for conversations in my own everyday life. It’s made me more mindful of the other person and how to listen better. I think this book really should be read by everyone.It seemed to me that all of those words were the language of fear. Of putting on our armour and bracing ourselves to do something really difficult,” says the palliative care specialist. “Actually, a lot of the time what these conversations really need us to do is be open to each other’s emotions.” This is one of those books about listening that should be in every school, workplace, every home. It will also give you the confidence in your newly found listening skills to approach friends, family, or even strangers and ask them the three little words that can make such a difference to a person's life: Are you alright? What I loved about the examples shown and Mannix illustrations is the importance of letting the speaker explore their own options and keep their own autonomy. Sometimes asking questions is far more beneficial than offering solutions (which in likelihood the other person has already thought of). From the bestselling author of With the End in Mind, this is a book about the conversations that matter and how to have them better – more honestly, more confidently and without regret.