Thank You for Arguing, Fourth Edition (Revised and Updated): What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion

Description

The definitive guide to getting your way, revised and updated with new material on writing, speaking, framing, and other key tools for arguing more powerfully “Cross Cicero with David Letterman and you get Jay Heinrichs.”—Joseph Ellis, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Quartet and American Sphinx Now in its fourth edition, Jay Heinrichs’s Thank You for Arguing is your master class in the art of persuasion, taught by history’s greatest professors, ranging from Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill to Homer Simpson and Barack Obama. Filled with time-tested secrets for emerging victorious from any dispute, including Cicero’s three-step strategy for inspiring action and Honest Abe’s Shameless Trick for lowering an audience’s expectations, this fascinating book also includes an assortment of persuasion tips, such as: • The Chandler Bing Adjustment : Match your argument to your audience (that is, persuasion is not about you). • The Belushi Paradigm : Before people will follow you, they have to consider you worth following. • The Yoda Technique : Transform a banal idiom by switching the words around. Additionally, Heinrichs considers the dark arts of persuasion, such as politicians’ use of coded language to appeal to specific groups. His sage guide has been fully updated to address our culture of “fake news” and political polarization. Whether you’re a lover of language books or just want to win more anger-free arguments on the page, at the podium, or over a beer, Thank You for Arguing is for you. Warm, witty, and truly enlightening, it not only teaches you how to identify a paraleipsis when you hear it but also how to wield such persuasive weapons the next time you really, really need to get your way. This expanded edition also includes a new chapter on how to reset your audience’s priorities, as well as new and improved ArgueLab games to hone your skills. Review: A Very Persuasive (and Fun) Read! - In this revised and updated edition of his New York Times bestseller, rhetoric and persuasion authority Jay Heinrichs takes us through principles, strategies, and tactics dating from the ancient Greek and Roman orators through former and modern-day U.S. presidents, showing us how to successfully communicate in a way that moves others to act. Combining an engaging sense of humor and an immense knowledge of “everything rhetoric,” he keeps the reader engaged, fascinated, and learning throughout. Two of the many powerful aspects of this book: 1) he uses examples we can all relate to (family, business, local politics, national politics, etc.), and 2) the information is presented in a way that the reader can begin applying it immediately. While there are far too many takeaways to mention, one superb example is utilizing the right tense — past, present, or future — at the right time during a disagreement or debate in order to be the most persuasive possible. I would never have thought of that and will begin applying his suggestion immediately. Again, just one of many! If you’re a parent, sales professional, leader, politician, student—really anyone looking to better your own position while adding value to others, this is an excellent book to read, study, and keep in your personal or office library. I found myself marking up the pages, using lots of sticky tabs on pages to return to later, and making lots of notes throughout. It’s a book well worth reviewing again and again. Indeed, it turns out that Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson (and a host of others) can teach us a LOT about the fine art of persuasion! Thank you, Mr. Heinrichs! Review: Great pick - Great