George Orwell once wrote that a classical education would be impossible without corporal punishment. Maybe that’s why it isn’t taught in schools today. Classical education was demanding. It included rhetoric: the art of effective speaking and writing. Rhetoric’s goal is to persuade. Effective communication will always be a vital business skill because business is essentially… Continue reading The art of persuasion 1: Rhetoric
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The art of persuasion 2: How to argue
What is an argument? In the Argument Clinic, a sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, an absurdist comedy series, a man pays for a five-minute argument. The customer goes to a room where a man behind a desk hurls abuse at him. The customer interrupts saying he paid for a five-minute argument, and this is not… Continue reading The art of persuasion 2: How to argue
Distraction and concentration
Concentration is at a premium in an increasingly distracted world. And this is why writing a book is so difficult for busy professionals. Writing a book requires long periods of distraction-free thinking-time, focus, and solitude. Author, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, termed Flow as a state of hyper-concentration where we lose all sense of time. We become what we do. Focus… Continue reading Distraction and concentration
Three questions
What’s my purpose? How is what I want to say relevant to my audience? How will I generate ideas? Have a purpose Purpose, relevancy, and ideas in business writing In the 1987 comedy, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles stressed marketing executive, Neal Page (Steve Martin), is reluctantly trapped in a shared hotel room with an optimistic and talkative… Continue reading Three questions
After losing an argument
I was browsing in a New York bookstore when I overheard a man ask for a book on how to win an argument. The two young women behind the counter giggled. I wondered if they knew about Demosthenes. Persuasion is a serious subject, and this bookstore customer wasn’t just a victim, he was doing something about his… Continue reading After losing an argument
Labels: A necessary evil
Lawyer and politician, Arlen Specter, started as a Democrat, then became a Republican, and then went back to being a Democrat again. As you can imagine, he resisted being labeled. What he actually said was, “I don’t like labels. I think they conceal more than they reveal — sort of like a bikini.” Labels limit… Continue reading Labels: A necessary evil
Plan your whole business book
“Any organization that won’t take the trouble to be both clear and personal in its writing will lose friends, customers, and money.” — William Zinsser, in his 30th-anniversary classic, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction Enthusiasm, drive, and energy are virtues. Yet unbridled drive can turn into impatience. Impatience can lead you to start writing… Continue reading Plan your whole business book
Business book titles
Why should readers read your book? Every business book has a value proposition. Writing a one-sentence reply will help clarify your thinking. Most of us form opinions quickly. And this is true when it comes to business book titles and introductions. First impressions count. First impressions have a habit of sticking. Just about every salesperson has heard that… Continue reading Business book titles
How to hire a ghostwriter
Whether you’re looking to hire a ghostwriter for business or a memoir, take your time finding the right person for you. A client-author recently explained to me how projects fail at the beginning, not at the end. Why is that? Poor initial decision-making. Don’t leave it up to someone else to make your ghostwriter hiring decisions for you. Hiring your ghostwriter… Continue reading How to hire a ghostwriter
Oh, no! Public speaking
I had a terror of public speaking until I didn’t. I needed a safe place to practice and get constructive feedback. I joined a Toastmasters International group years ago and it helped me, and then it helped me help others. I was well out of my comfort zone in the beginning. And given the choice… Continue reading Oh, no! Public speaking