Writing to Persuade

How to Bring People Over to Your Side

By: Trish Hall

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the former New York Times Op-Ed page editor, a definitive and entertaining resource for writers of every stripe on the neglected art of persuasion.

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, Hall offers an infinitely accessible primer on the art of effectively communicating above the digital noise of the 21st century.

©2019 Trish Hall (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Totally disappointed

I purchased this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR and I had high hopes that the book would provide useful information regarding how to appropriately get noticed in the noisy media world and “how to persuade” people to listen to your arguments. Wow was I totally disappointed on so many levels. First, the author starts out by telling you that she will be providing tips and information on how to get noticed, along with A LITTLE personal background- WRONG!! This is completely a vanity piece and a bad one at that. All the author talks about is herself. No helpful information. The writing is junior high level. It’s actually embarrassing to read it is so bad. Don’t waste your money.

Where Is the Meat?

This book offers no tip on writing, let alone persuasive writing. It literally defines the saying of never judge a book by its cover. This is not a how-to guide to anything, except the author's own personal story. If you have about six hours to throw away, by all means, read this book. However, it is not for someone who values their time and is serious about learning how to write or speak persuasively.

Encourages logical fallacies

She encourages appeals to emotion and other rhetoric that isn’t based in logic. It’s consistent with the level of argument you’d see in the New York times op eds, where she worked. It did give me insight into why these articles are rarely logic based