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Writing to persuade : how to bring people over to your side

2019

Title:	Writing to persuade : how to bring people over to your side
Edition:	First edition.
Author:	Hall, Trish, author.
Copies Available in CU:	2 (of 2)
Current Requests:	0
Format:	Book
Publisher, Date:	New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W.W. Norton & Company, [2019]
	xiv, 206 pages ; 25 cm
Summary:	"In the tradition of The Elements of Style comes Trish Hall's essential new work on writing well--a sparkling instructional guide to persuading (almost) anyone, on (nearly) anything. Drawing on her vast experience editing everyone from Nobel Prize winners and global strongmen (Putin) to first-time pundits (Angelina Jolie), Hall presents the ultimate guide to writing persuasively for students, job applicants, and rookie authors looking to get published. She sets out the core principles for connecting with readers--laid out in illuminating chapters such as 'Cultivate Empathy,' 'Abandon Jargon,' and 'Prune Ruthlessly.' Hall offers an infinitely accessible primer on the art of effectively communicating above the digital noise of the twenty-first century.In the tradition of The Elements of Style comes Trish Hall's essential new work on writing well--a sparkling instructional guide to persuading (almost) anyone, on (nearly) anything. Hall spent years immersed in argument, passion, and trendsetting ideas--but also in tangled sentences, migraine-inducing jargon, and dull-as-dishwater writing. Drawing on her vast experience editing everyone from Nobel Prize winners and global strongmen (Putin) to first-time pundits (Angelina Jolie), Hall presents the ultimate guide to writing persuasively for students, job applicants, and rookie authors looking to get published. She sets out the core principles for connecting with readers--laid out in illuminating chapters such as 'Cultivate Empathy,' 'Abandon Jargon,' and 'Prune Ruthlessly.' Combining boisterous anecdotes with practical advice (relayed in 'tracked changes' bubbles), Hall offers an infinitely accessible primer on the art of effectively communicating above the digital noise of the twenty-first century"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:	Becoming a writer -- Becoming an editor -- Running op-ed -- Dealing with celebrities -- Finding your voice -- When to go personal -- Know your audience -- You like dogs? So do i! -- Play on feelings -- The power of empathy -- Don't argue -- Tell stories -- Why facts matter, even when they don't -- Focus. Be specific. Prune. And kill the jargon -- Coming up with ideas -- How to please editors -- We believe what we believe -- The power of moral values -- What really changes people -- Coda : go forth!.
Subjects:	English language -- Rhetoric. Persuasion (Rhetoric)
Notes:	Includes index.
ISBN:	9781631493058 1631493051

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Summary

In the tradition of The Elements of Style comes Trish Hall's essential new work on writing well--a sparkling instructional guide to persuading (almost) anyone, on (nearly) anything. As the person in charge of the Op-Ed page for the New York Times, Hall spent years immersed in argument, passion, and trendsetting ideas--but also in tangled sentences, migraine-inducing jargon, and dull-as-dishwater writing. Drawing on her vast experience editing everyone from Nobel Prize winners and global strongmen (Putin) to first-time pundits (Angelina Jolie), Hall presents the ultimate guide to writing persuasively for students, job applicants, and rookie authors looking to get published. She sets out the core principles for connecting with readers--laid out in illuminating chapters such as "Cultivate Empathy," "Abandon Jargon," and "Prune Ruthlessly." Combining boisterous anecdotes with practical advice (relayed in "tracked changes" bubbles), Hall offers an infinitely accessible primer on the art of effectively communicating above the digital noise of the twenty-first century.

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Library Journal Review

Former New York Times Op-Ed editor Hall delivers a guide as valuable to persuasive prose as to living the writer's life. In five sections, Hall lays out industry practices through her 20-plus years of experience, including personal asides on maintaining a sense of humor-and titanium nerve endings. Particularly important is knowing your audience and understanding what people love, loathe, relish, and dread. A connection can be made by touching on common feelings and reaffirming them. This "tactical" mode is easily visible in advertising campaigns, wherein persuasion is manipulation, and stirring emotions will influence readers across media. Empathy here is described as not inherently positive or negative but as a tool liable to be used generously or cynically. To writers, this means sensing-not judging-what others feel. Although it's not easy to define what changes people and their perceptions, the author leaves us with what works: qualify your statements, admit you might not know everything about your topic, use charts and graphs to help readers absorb information, target an audience through its values, and more. -VERDICT A sensible, all-encompassing resource for both seasoned and aspiring writers.-William Grabowski, McMechen, WV © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Hall (A Little Work) delivers an instructional guide to writing the sort of persuasively argued think pieces she oversaw during her four years as editor of the New York Times Op-Ed page. Writing broadly rather than in bullet points, and illustrating her observations with examples of submissions she handled during her tenure, she addresses the many aspects of writing that distinguish an exercise in expository writing and make it attract attention, such as drawing on a deeply personal experience to crystallize a generally relevant concern (she cites Angelina Jolie's column on her double mastectomy to raise breast cancer awareness) and playing on feelings to connect emotionally with one's audience. Some of her insights will seem obvious, if useful: don't make readers defensive by arguing, enliven a theme with storytelling, and prune one's prose of clichés and jargon, to name a few. Others are profound in their clarity: speaking about the different moral values to which people cling, she writes, "You can't expect someone to change their basic values, so you have to make your argument in a way that fits with their values." This book offers sound, well-reasoned advice that will benefit any writer. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

In her more than two decades as editor of the New York Times op-ed page, Hall read a lot of unconvincing writing. She observed that in journalism, as in life, there are certain tactics that work, and plenty that don't, when it comes to convincing others your opinion is right. Part memoir, part style manual, this book presents the rules of persuasion as Hall has seen them at play. She acknowledges that, like all rules, hers could be broken but, after reading her clear and researched explanation of each one, it's hard to imagine how. Arguing, for example, is pretty much guaranteed to keep your audience at bay, as is a lack of understanding of your audience's point of view. At the core of Hall's advice is a focus on the power of empathy: finding common ground to find a path forward, advice that extends far beyond the pages of an essay. Woven throughout are fascinating anecdotes from Hall's career; stories of chasing the truth, interrogating her own opinions, and encouraging others to do the same.--Courtney Eathorne Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus Review

From the former editor of the New York Times op-ed page, a book that is part memoir, part self-help, and part writing guide.At its core, Hall's text is about becoming a better listener, friend, partner, and citizen. Readers looking for tips on how to run the editorial gauntlet of the New York Times or other top national publications will find a few here. Unfortunately, some of the determining factors are beyond the fledgling writer's control. As the author clearly shows, your work is more likely to be read by an editor if you are a celebrity, a writer with a following, or someone referred by a journalistic colleague. For those without such advantages who hope to rise above the slush pile, the advice is fairly routine: Focus your piece, write clearly and conversationally, tell stories, be specific, have a different perspective or experience, surprise the editor with your story, and delight her with the quality of your prose. Beyond such standard advice, the worth of Hall's counsel extends well beyond writing, as she illuminates the types of attitudes and approaches that might make others more receptive or resistant and how crucial it is to find common bonds or frames of reference, to engage rather than antagonize. In these times of political polarization, she suggests that it's still possible to find common ground and to talk to each other rather than shout past each other. This may not result in publishable opinion pieces or help you persuade anyone of anything, but it might make for a more civil, polite society. Near the end, the author offers a helpful section called "How to Write and Pitch an Op-Ed," including the advice, "you need to offer an opinion, not just an analysis of the problem or applause for someone else's solution."A lucid book about building bridges through communication along with some interesting behind-the-scenes background at the NYT. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Table of Contents

	Preface	p. ix
Part I	Lessons from My Story
1	Becoming a Writer	p. 3
2	Becoming an Editor	p. 17
3	Running Op-Ed	p. 23
4	Dealing with Celebrities	p. 34
Part II	What's Your Story?
5	Finding Your Voice	p. 43
6	When to Go Personal	p. 52
Part III	Winning People Over
7	Know Your Audience	p. 63
8	You Like Dogs? So Do I!	p. 75
9	Play on Feelings	p. 84
10	The Power of Empathy	p. 92
11	Don't Argue	p. 102
Part IV	Tips on Writing
12	Tell Stories	p. 111
13	Why Facts Matter, Even When They Don't	p. 118
14	Focus. Be Specific. Prune. And Kill the Jargon	p. 135
15	Coming Up with Ideas	p. 151
16	How to Please Editors	p. 162
Part V	The Psychology of Persuasion
17	We Believe What We Believe	p. 175
18	The Power of Moral Values	p. 182
19	What Really Changes People	p. 188
	Coda: Go Forth!	p. 197
	Acknowledgments	p. 199
	Index	p. 201

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