When we talk to others, we assume that they are carefully weighing our words and arguments. But these are far from being the only factors that hold sway.

In this groundbreaking new book, bestselling behavioural scientists Stephen Martin and Joseph Marks explore the eight powerful human traits that help determine whether what we have to say gets heard or lands on deaf ears. They show how seemingly irrelevant details about our demeanour influence others’ responses. They explain how trust is won, even when it may not be deserved. They show how the most trivial of signals – like the shape of our face, the shoes we wear or the car we drive – can influence how people respond to us.

And in a world of uncertainty and fake news they demonstrate how, increasingly, the Messenger is the Message.