The first book by Yvo ter Maat
Nobody Understands You
Why words never arrive the way they left
You hear your words with your meaning attached. Everyone else just hears the words.
Coming as an ebook and a paperback, in English, Dutch and Spanish.
You said it clearly. Something else arrived.
Nobody Understands You is about the space between what you mean and what the other person hears. At work, at home and in your own head. With real stories, backed by research, and the popular myths left out.
In this book you’ll discover
- Why things go wrong most often at home, with the people closest to you.
- Why a word as small as “done” means four things to four people at one table, and the kindergarten question that brings the difference to light.
- Why communication isn’t 93 percent nonverbal, and why we believe it anyway.
- What a single word can do to your shoulders.
- How half a language makes you a better listener than a whole one.
- Why a machine that hears only your words can be the clearest mirror you have.
From chapter 1
People tapped out the rhythm of a well-known song on a table and expected the listener to guess it half the time.
Read whyWant to know how often the listeners actually recognized the song?
Two and a half percent. Out of a hundred and twenty songs, three were guessed.
The writer who decided he couldn’t write
I live in Amsterdam and have worked as a project manager and consultant for more than twenty years. That work has taught me a lot about language: how one word can mean something slightly different to everyone at the table, and how a good question brings that difference to light.
Be the first to hear when it’s out
As soon as the book can be ordered, I’ll send you the link.
A question or a comment? Feel free to email me at yvo@yvotermaat.com