The Craft Of Persuasion

Image Tim Haynes

“Because your question searches for deep meaning,
I shall explain in simple words.” - Dante.

In our last post, we touched on how the philosopher Aristotle defined the art of persuasion in ‘On Rhetoric’ sometime around 360BC.

Today, we thought we’d have a go at translating ancient Greek theory into modern marketing practice.

These steps are by no means the be all and end all of crafting a persuasive argument, but they’re the way we begin the process.

And it’s worth noting, that process begins before we start coming up with ideas.

Start with an end in mind.

In the communications business, that’s usually “What do I want them to think or do?”

And it’s worth fighting to the point of making yourself unpopular during the briefing process to make sure that’s only one thing.

Aristotle noted that nobody had time for complicated arguments in 360BC and the ancient Greeks lacked the distraction of cat videos on TikTok.

If your brief is not focused on persuading your audience to think or do one thing, you need to rethink and rewrite.

Or resign before you get pushed.

Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

There’s no avoiding the fact we stick to telling people what we want them to hear.

We’re advocates who work within the Trade Practices Act, not crusading journalists.

But it’s much easier to construct a persuasive argument if you don’t hide things.

And nothing ruins a persuasive argument faster than a lengthy, babbling disclaimer.

If information has to be in there – for reasons legal or otherwise – try to work it into the logical flow of your argument.

Yes, that can be extremely difficult.

But if this job were easy, a machine could do it.

Oh, hang on…

Demonstration is the most effective form of persuasion.

Aristotle wrote as much in ‘On Rhetoric’.

“The truth that is demonstrated is most readily accepted.”

And if you need proof of that, try arguing with this.

Rate yourself.

Dick Baynham, one of our first Creative Directors, taught that you should give every idea you come up with a S.C.O.R.E.

Is it Simple? Is it Credible? Is it Original? Is it Relevant? And, most important of all, will it generate Empathy?

That last one should be your first priority, because it’s the axis on which every persuasive argument turns.

We identify with people who understand us and with brands that inspire us. In a way, it’s like those brands are what they are because they listen to what we want.

And anyone who sells things for a living understands how important listening is to building a persuasive argument.

Getting your sales pitch right hinges on knowing you have two ears, one mouth and using them in proportion.

Speaking of listening…

‘On Rhetoric’ is a meditation on the art of public speech.

Which means you can learn a lot about the art of persuasion from reading what great men and women have said, and if recordings exist, listening to how they said it.

Like a good ad, speeches by the great orators get to the point early and are designed to move the audience in the moment.

Examine their clear, simple language and points of emphasis. Just about every great speech uses the power of three.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address talks about government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Dr Martin Luther King ended his most famous speech with ‘Free at last, free at last…thank God Almighty…we are free at last’.

And thanks to Sir Winston Churchill, we all know that by the end of the Battle of Britain, never had ‘so much been owed, by so many, to so few’.

Simple language, persuasive logic, powerful delivery.

I am not a target market, I am a human being.

No matter how hard you try, you’re not going to persuade ‘Men 18-24’ to do anything.

But you might persuade your twenty-something nephew not to drive like an idiot if you talk to people as individuals, not at them as a group.

Write like you’re saying one thing to one person, and you can persuade millions.

Speaking of people, another of Aristotle’s cautionary lessons in ‘On Rhetoric’ was to remember that what those people say they believe in public is not always what they really believe in private.

For creatives, Raymond Chandler put it best when he wrote, “Everything in literature is worthless, save that which is written between the lines.”

Dissect everything you know about the people you’re trying to persuade. What’s the subtext telling you?

More often than not, it will be the answer.

Accept you’ll never master the art.

It was another thoughtful old Greek, Socrates, who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

That wisdom applies as much to being a lifelong student of our craft as it does to our existence.

Whether you’ve been in this business thirty days or thirty years, you can always learn to become a more persuasive communicator.

Work hard. Think harder. Dig for the truth.

You’ll uncover some amazing things.

And turn them into great work.