Persuasion: A New Approach To Changing Minds (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
I found the content of this book rather dry and repetitive. When Arlene did tell personal stories they were vague and impersonal in order to protect the privacy of her clients. This is of course understandable but not very engaging. I also found she used similar stories and phrasing repeatedly throughout the book. This could have been a stylist choice as marketers know that repeating a message makes it more likely to stick. I would have found this book more effective if it had been 100 pages shorter. Five things I learned from reading this book:1) Understand how success looks to you and then work towards that vision.2) Engaging in principled persuasion means being: authentic, honest, and looking for a win-win situation.3) listening is the key to understanding and ultimately persuading.4) The most important person you have to persuade is yourself. Believing in your self is key to success.5) Don't over promise so you can perform to expectations when success comes your way. I started reading this book, selected for me by the bookmobile staffer, out of curiosity, not expecting to like it well enough to finish it. It was fairly padded with white space and repetition, so I put it down and moved on to other books. A day or so before the bookmobile was to return I picked it up again and found that it became more interesting and finally, encouraging on a personal level. Aimed at prospective and struggling entrepreneurs, the encouragement she imparts serves the rest of us, too. She has an easy to read style of writing and, despite my initial impression gleaned from the first several chapters, something useful to say. I'm glad that I finished the book. Afterward I watched an episode of Dragon's Den just to hear her and see if the persona on the show matches the one she portrays in the book. It does.
What do You think about Persuasion: A New Approach To Changing Minds (2011)?
SUCH A GOOD BOOK! this woman is brilliant... however she repeats her point a lot.
—tomtom
Everyone working in public institutions should read this one.
—Amber
If you like Dragon's Den, you need to read this book.
—christinejb
