📘 The best book on communication since Talk like TED

This might just be the most important book you read this year.

In fact, it's the best book on communication I've read since Carmine Gallo's, Talk like TED.

I’ve been lucky enough to follow Alice Driscoll and Louise Van Haarst’s journey through MicDrop for a few years now.

They’re the hottest authors and speakers in town, and for good reason.

Not only does every single page have something both valuable AND practical - which as every author reading this knows, is no mean feat.

It is also a masterclass in positioning.

In fact, all the ingredients of world-class positioning can be found on that beautifully designed front cover.

Let’s break it down…

1. ‘Smart Conflict’: The power of an own-able word or phrase 🧠
   You say 'Alice and Louise,' I say 'Smart Conflict!' Notice how:
   

   1. The phrase itself makes the topic clear (unlike my own book, Make it Count - which while catchy, without the subtitle, could be about anything).

   2. Notice how the oxymoron prevents it from sounding too negative?

   
   The best bit? Easy to remember = Easy to Recommend = Virality
   

2. ‘Hard Conversations…’: Problem-first positioning 🚦
   SO many people fall into the trap of passion-first positioning. E.g. “How to have better conversations at work” or worse yet, “How to have better conversations.” Passion first positioning makes your topic:
   

   1. More aspirational/inspirational, and therefore

   2. Less tangible and harder to sell

   
   Worse still? You become nice to have, not need to have.
   

3. ‘… at work’: Trigger events
   The exact moment something becomes urgent for your audience. When you position your products, services, talks, or workshops around these, your topic goes from “interesting” to “essential.”
   
   In this case? Hard conversations at work.

   1. Every company has them every day

   2. Every team has them every week

Being able to handle hard conversations at work is what we might publicly want (public goals), but the real reason we’ll read this book is because of the impact it will have on the our conversations outside of work (our selfish desires).

This stuff really matters.

It’s why in November we’ll be putting our new (and old) MicDrop members through a 4-week positioning bootcamp.

We’re talking full profile audits, message optimisation and enquiry-driving packaging - the kind of support you’d expect from a high ticket programme, except it’s just part of community life.

That way, while everyone else is setting their goals for 2026, they’ll be able to hit the ground running.

We have 19 spaces left.
5 verbally confirmed.
10 offers pending.
13 calls with prospective members coming up.

I've added made a few more call slots over the next few days so if you’ve booked one for mid-October, I would consider rebooking earlier to avoid disappointment.

If you’re interested in joining us click here.

Alex