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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Winning Others Over" to Mutual Advantage, 7 Mar 2008
Almost 2,500 years ago, one or more of Aristotle's students assembled notes they had taken during his lectures and compiled them in a single volume now known as "The Rhetoric." To the best of my knowledge, that is the earliest text on the general subject of persuasion. In essence, Aristotle suggests that there are four levels of discourse: exposition that explains with information, description that makes vivid with compelling details, narration that tells a story or explains a sequence, and finally, argumentation that convinces with logic and/or evidence.
In their book, G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa develop in a modern context many of Aristotle's ideas about principled as well as effective persuasion. The objective of Woo is to win others over to mutual advantage. That is, Woo "is relationship-based persuasion, a strategic process for getting people's attention, pitching your ideas, and obtaining approval for your plans and projects. It is, in short, one of the most important skills in the repertoire of any entrepreneur, employee, or professional manager whose work requires them to rely on influence and persuasion rather than coercion and force."
Shell and Moussa recommend a four-step process to achieve influence goals and then thoroughly explain how to complete each. More specifically,
First, survey the given situation by forging and polishing the idea, map the decision process by understanding the social networks within the organization, determining which persuasion style will be most effective, and summoning whatever passion and conviction may be necessary to achieve the desired objective. (Chapters 2 & 3) Next, confront the given barriers that may include negative relationships, poor credibility, communication mismatches, contrary belief systems, and conflicting interests. Shell and Moussa offer eminently practical advice on how to transform barriers into assets that can be leveraged. (Chapters 4-6) Then make the pitch by presenting solid evidence and arguments as well as using various devices to give the proposed ideas and/or course of action a personal touch. (Chapters 7 & 8) Finally, secure the commitments by dealing effectively with politics at both the individual level and throughout the organization. (Chapter 9)
Where to start? Shell and Moussa identify "the six main channels of persuasion that provide the conduits for most idea-selling messages" (each explained in detail, Pages 32-40) and suggest that their reader complete a self-diagnostic (provided in Appendix A) to determine which of the channels would be most appropriate. In Figure 2.1, Shell and Moussa provide a grid within which they suggest that there are five primary persuasion styles and a range of Volume" at which the message is delivered as well as orientation that is either focused on self or on others: the Driver (e.g. Andy Grove), the Commander (e.g. J.P. Morgan), the Promoter (Andrew Carnegie), the Chess Player (e.g. John D. Rockefeller), and the Advocate (e.g. Sam Walton). The challenge when preparing to persuade others is to formulate a presentation that is most appropriate to one's personal style (i.e. authentic because character and purpose "matter most") but also, and just as important, one that is appropriate to both the given objectives (e.g. explain and/or convince) and the given audience. Only then can the appropriate channel be selected.
For example, the essence of the interest-based persuasion channel "is inducement, not trading. Thus, you are engaged in interest-based persuasion whenever you pitch your idea as addressing the other party's underlying needs." As for rationality-based persuasion, Shell and Moussa define it as "trying to influence someone's attitudes, beliefs, or actions by offering reasons and/or evidence to justify a proposal on its merits." With regard to the relationship channel, they recommend it whenever similarity, liking, rapport, and reciprocity are used or when there is reliance on an existing network of contacts and friends to open doors as part of an idea-selling strategy.
In this remarkably lively and eloquent volume, Shell and Moussa provide their reader with a comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective process by which to use strategic persuasion to "sell" her or his ideas. (They use the term "road map" but I much prefer "process" because the "geography" of strategic persuasion will vary from one idea or one audience to the next whereas the information and counsel that G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa offer will be relevant to any "journey," wherever and whenever it may occur, whatever its ultimate destination may be.) They conclude with a list of "Ten Questions for Would-Be Wooers" that must be carefully considered, then answered with a high level of specificity. I remind those who read this review that self-audit diagnostic exercises are provided in the first two appendices. Each alone is well-worth the cost of this brilliant book.
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Shell's Bargaining for Advantage as well as two books by Stephen Denning: The Leader's Guide to Storytelling and his more recent The Secret Language of Leadership. Also, Chip and Dan Heath's Made to Stick, Howard Gardner's Changing Minds and his more recent Five Minds for the Future, Robert B. Cialdini's Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, and Dale Carnegie's extraordinarily durable classic, How to Win Friends & Influence People.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A smart guide to the art and science of persuasion, 9 Mar 2009
Salespeople market products and services. Successful people within organizations market ideas. Can you market yours? In this smart, well-sourced book, G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa show you how to sell your concepts to your colleagues and clients. They detail six primary "influence channels" and five "persuasion roles." They also outline the four components of an effective persuasion. If you want to promote your ideas, getAbstract suggests following their savvy, sensible, step-by-step approach, laced with expertise, erudition, knowledge and wisdom. This book features an added bonus: scores of colorful real-life anecdotes that support the authors' primary points. These include a vignette about how lawyers in ancient Rome hired professional "wailers" to weep in court about their clients' injuries, and a story about the way Nelson Mandela used his wits to win concessions for himself and his fellow prisoners. Shell and Moussa teach you how to use a potent mixture of art and science to become a master persuader.
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by Brian Tracy
by Kerry Patterson
