Text Addicted Families Get a Lesson in 'The Art of Conversation'

Online, September 20, 2010 (Newswire.com) - London September 8, 2010 - Louise Howland and Keith Lamb launch the The Art of Conversation (TAOC) a new game and resource in the UK in response to alarming research, indicating a that an increasing number of modern British family are resorting to text messaging and emails as a predominate form of household communication.

TAOC has been hailed as the long awaited answer to stroppy teenagers and terrible tantrums with several versions dedicated to Travel, Literature and a Children's version for pre-schoolers. Combining education and entertainment, the family card game aims to rebuild the blurred communications lines of Britain's families, solidifying group morals, goals, inspirations and dreams with an intense game of questions and answers.

The game contains 100 cards and each card has three stimulating conversation building questions. Players are asked to read out the question which then prompts conversation and discussion or can be used as part of a competitive game. The game also includes four blank cards for players to make up their own questions.

The Art of Conversation is a great value investment; retailing at £9.99, the game can be played over and over again and can even be used as a comprehensive personal journal.

The game has been widely accepted by therapists and teachers, who find it a valuable resource for promoting self-esteem, improving communications and generally getting people talking again. It has been used in education, marriage guidance counselling, family counselling, even corporate and sports team-building.

Behavioral Psychologist, Kay Brooks says "TAOC has proved an invaluable resource in the work I do with children across he Autism spectrum. Teaching communication skills formally may mean they are a little robotic at first- but it is way better than having no skills at all. TAOC is the best resource I have ever used for the development of communication skills."

TAOC and all TAOC variants are well-tested resources which suit players of all ages, whether played in groups or solo. Going above and beyond the standard limitations of a typical quiz or game, TAOC can be played with groups who are already familiar or those who have only just met.
Further details:
For further information about The Art of Conversation or to request samples or high res images, please contact Katie Hancock or Laura Wood at Golden Goose PR on 0207 376 0070 [email protected]/ [email protected]

Editors notes:
About the authors
Keith Lamb
Keith migrated from England to Australia in 1970 and formed the successful, multi-cultural glam-rock band Hush. As lead singer and co-writer for much of Hush's material, he lead the band to great national success, with many top ten hits such as Glad All Over and Boney Maronie. Keith toured Australia and New Zealand almost continuously for almost a decade and was a regular compere on the music shows such as Countdown, Sounds Unlimited, Hey Hey It's Saturday, GTK and more.
After Hush, Keith performed in the first Australian production of Jesus Christ, Superstar, He produced many successful albums e.g. Pioneers (the poetry of Banjo Patterson set to music) which went triple platinum.
Keith co-wrote many songs for Status Quo, including several top 10 hits such as Ol' Rag Blues and Over the Edge.
The ABC's Australian Story made a documentary, narrated by Louise, tracing some of Keith's life, from the Hush days to the present. Hush starred in the recent Countdown Spectacular Tour of Australia in 2006 to high acclaim.
Keith is the Creative Director for Rajmahal and TAOC®, The Art of Conversation.

Louise Howland
Louise is an Australian who has traveled widely and worked in many fields, including as a psychiatric nurse and music teacher. Amongst her loves are nature, books, writing, music, art and travel.
Louise has a natural gift for lateral thinking. Louise formed the company Rajmahal in 1986. Rajmahal (www.rajmahal.com.au) manufactures and wholesales unique embroidery designs and materials, exporting to the USA, Canada, UK, South Africa, Turkey and various countries in Europe.

She is a monthly columnist for Embroidery & Cross Stitch and a freelance writer for other publications.

Louise is completing a Master's thesis on communication in children with Special Needs.

Louise and Keith are passionate about conversation and its benefits. They have researched and developed TAOC® as a labour of love over many years.

*According to the study carried out by the Pew Research Centre in Washington DC which found that a typical teenage girl sends 80 messages a day and a boy will send 30. The study also found that whilst most young people text their friends daily, only a third made an effort to talk face to face.

Price and stockist details:

In addition to the original game, there are three other versions including Travel, Children's and Literary. The Art of Conversation is available from www.taocuk.com.

Littlehampton Book Services Ltd
Faraday Close Durrington Worthing West Sussex BN13 3RB
Tel. 01903828500
www.lbsltd.co.uk

Little Black Dog
Tel. +44 (0)1903 785990
Unit 3 Everdon Park, Heartlands Industrial Estate, Daventry, NN118YJ
www.littleblackdogltd.co.uk
The Art of Children's Conversation RRP £9.99
The Art of Conversation RRP £9.99
The Art of Literary Conversation RRP £9.99
The Art of Travel Conversation RRP £9.99