Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-308) and index.
Open your eyes : the invisible argument -- Set your goals : Cicero̕s lightbulb -- Control the tense : orphan Annie̕s law -- Soften them up : character, logic, emotion -- Get them to like you : Eminem̕s rules of decorum -- Make them listen : the Lincoln gambit -- Show leadership : the Belushi paradigm -- Win their trust : Quintilian̕s useful doubt -- Control the mood : the Aquinas maneuver -- Turn the volume down : the scientist̕s lie -- Gain the high ground : Aristotle̕s favorite topic -- Persuade on your terms : what ʺisʺ is -- Control the argument : Homer Simpson̕s canons of logic -- Spot fallacies : the seven deadly logical sins -- Call of foul : Nixon̕s trick -- Know whom to trust : persuasion detectors -- Find the sweet spot : more persuasion detectors -- Speak your audience̕s language : the rhetorical ape -- Make them identify with your choice : the mother in law ruse -- Get instant cleverness : Monty Python̕s treasury of wit -- Seize the occasion : Stalin̕s timing secret -- Use the right medium : the jumbotron blunder -- Give a persuasive talk : the oldest invention -- Use the right tools : the Brad Pitt factor -- Run an agreeable country : rhetoric̕s revival -- Appendix 1 : The tools -- Appendix 2 : Glossary -- Appendix 3 : Chronology -- Appendix 4 : Further reading.
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Thank You for Arguing is your master class in the art of persuasion, taught by professors ranging from Bart Simpson to Winston Churchill. The time-tested secrets the book discloses include Cicero's three-step strategy for moving an audience to action--as well as Honest Abe's Shameless Trick of lowering an audience's expectations by pretending to be unpolished. But it's also replete with contemporary techniques such as politicians' use of "code" language to appeal to specific groups and an eye-opening assortment of popular-culture dodges, including: The Eddie Haskell Ploy ; Eminem's Rules of Decorum ; The Belushi Paradigm ; Stalin's Timing Secret ; The Yoda Technique.
Whether you're an inveterate lover of language books or just want to win a lot more anger-free arguments on the page, at the podium, or over a beer, Thank You for Arguing is for you. Written by one of today's most popular online language mavens, it's warm, witty, erudite, and truly enlightening. It not only teaches you how to recognize a paralipsis and a chiasmus when you hear them, but also how to wield such handy and persuasive weapons the next time you really, really want to get your own way.