Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behaviour (or, How to Understand Those Who Cannot Be Understood)

Paperback Published on: 30/07/2019
Price: £10.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Surrounded by Idiots
Must Read For 2024
Absolutely fascinating! This book will help you explore the four different personality types in everyday life. (Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. Yes, I’ve st... READ MORE
Sam at St Albans
Surrounded by Idiots
No way of understanding people is foolproof.
This is going to be a short review. It's a book that can really help you conceptualise how people think and interact with the world. No way of understan... READ MORE
Jen
Surrounded by Idiots
An interesting insight into behaviour and teams.
This is one of those books, that you may have heard of, must have seen, possibly not read the blurb of, unyet it may be somewhere in your consciousness. T... READ MORE
Kate Morton at Ayr

Synopsis

Do you ever think you're the only one making any sense? Or tried to reason with your partner with disastrous results? Do long, rambling answers drive you crazy? Or does your colleague's abrasive manner get your back up?

You are not alone. After a disastrous meeting with a highly successful entrepreneur, who was genuinely convinced he was 'surrounded by idiots', communication expert and bestselling author, Thomas Erikson dedicated himself to understanding how people function and why we often struggle to connect with certain types of people.

Originally published in Swedish in 2014 as Omgiven Av Idioter, Erikon's Surrounded by Idiots is already an international phenomenon, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide, of which over 750,000 copies have been sold in Sweden alone. It offers a simple, yet ground-breaking method for assessing the personalities of people we communicate with - in and out of the office - based on four personality types (Red, Blue, Green and Yellow), and provides insights into how we can adjust the way(s) we speak and share information.

Erikson will help you understand yourself better, hone communication and social skills, handle conflict with confidence, improve dynamics with your boss and team, and get the best out of the people you deal with and manage. He also shares simple tricks on body language, improving written communication and advice on when to back away or when to push on, and when to speak up or indeed shut up. Packed with 'aha!' and 'oh no!' moments, Surrounded by Idiots will help you understand and influence those around you, even people you currently think are beyond all comprehension.

And with a bit of luck you can also be confident that the idiot out there isn't you!

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Ebury Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781785042188
  • Number of pages: 304
  • Dimensions: 197 x 127 x 22 mm
  • Weight: 214g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Surrounded by Idiots
Better than expected
I was curious about the book but didn't expect very much. To my surprise it caught my attention right from the beginning. It is clear and easy to underst... READ MORE
Gudrun Berry
Surrounded by Idiots
Interesting read
It is quite a detailed and technical book, which I enjoyed. There may have been some tiny mind blowing discoveries but mostly, it is a common knowledge sho... READ MORE
Kate
Surrounded by Idiots
Good read but..
Good read but even as a guy I didn’t like how the author kept using “he, him, his”. I would have lost interest if I was a female.
Abiola Ifaloye
Surrounded by Idiots
Insight and affirmation of your gut feelings in one book
Cracking read and something I will be returning to again and again for reference. I defy anyone not to read this and have people they know pop into their h... READ MORE
Jacqueline Broddell
Surrounded by Idiots
interesting read
Hi a very interesting read
Michele Prescott
Surrounded by Idiots
PEOPLE WATCHING
A very interesting read which makes the whole idea of people watching a great deal more fun
MELODY SLADE
Surrounded by Idiots
Would give 0 stars if possible.
Written by a self-proclaimed behavioural specialist who shows no basic understanding of psychology whatsoever. He writes about people as if they behave lik... READ MORE
Shasta Stephens
Surrounded by Idiots
Everyone should read this book
Honestly this booked helped me a lot to understand people around me. Have struggled to get my point across many times.. turns out I am a lot of "red and bl... READ MORE
karen savegnago
Surrounded by Idiots
Validating and interesting
Really interesting book, opened my eyes to why people act so differently to myself and why I feel I may struggle to (successfully) interact with certain in... READ MORE
Chloe Dixon
Surrounded by Idiots
Usefool tool
I found this a very interesting book, written in a entertaining way. I already read it, and I will apply it to my personal and professional relationships.
Leonela Mendes
Surrounded by Idiots
Entertaining and illuminating
Surrounded by Idiots communicates a personality analysis framework that has been honed over time and is based broadly on individuals being categorised as o... READ MORE
Nick A
Surrounded by Idiots
Interesting but a hard read
This book is really fascinating although, as a typical red I did think it was too long, it could be snappier. It’s very useful for work environments, hopef... READ MORE
Lorna Taverner
Surrounded by Idiots
Judging a book by it's cover !?
Oh dear. Where to start with this book? The front cover maybe! It is telling me that 'over 10 million copies have been sold'. Thus disproving the saying ne... READ MORE
Simon W
Surrounded by Idiots
lacking nuance
Over generalised and does not take into account different neuro-types and mental health conditions. This book feels like a horror scope or buzz feed quiz t... READ MORE
Erin Pavey
Surrounded by Idiots
good read
I loved reading the book.It’s interesting to review 4 personality types, and not talk about 16 different ones.It definitely helped me see that people perce... READ MORE
Frizzle