A paradigm-shifting book looking at the pervasive influence of silence and how we can begin to dismantle it in order to find our voices at home and at work Having a seat at the table doesn’t mean that your voice is actually welcome. Knowing something is wrong doesn't mean it's easy to speak up. In fact, there are incentives for many of us to stay silent. Why speak up if you know that it won’t be received well, and in fact, often makes things worse? In Unlearning Silence, Hering explores how we’ve learned to be silent, how we’ve benefited from silence, how we’ve silenced other people—and how we might choose another way. She teaches how to recognize and unlearn unconscious patterns so we can make more intentional choices about how we want to show up in at home and at work. Only by unlearning silence can we more fully unleash talent, speak our minds, and be more complete versions of ourselves… and help other people do the same. With compassion, clarity, and understanding, Hering guides readers through real-life examples and offers a concrete road map for doing this vital and challenging work.

Having a seat at the table doesn't mean that your voice gets heard. Knowing something is wrong doesn't make it easy to speak up. But this silencing - intentional or not - has profound consequences on our work and life. It blocks talent, skews decisions and causes teams and individuals to fail. So what if there was another way?

Drawing on her experience as a lecturer at Harvard Law School and as a Managing Partner at one of the world's leading leadership development companies, Elaine Lin Hering delves into the roots of silence, examining the patterns that keep us trapped, and showcases the impact that rewiring unconscious behaviours can have on innovation, creativity and collaboration.

From the boardroom to the classroom, from personal relationships to wider communities, Hering shows us how we can have more authentic conversations, foster inclusive spaces and amplify all voices. Because only by unlearning silence can we fully unleash talent, speak our minds, and be more complete versions of ourselves... and help other people do the same.