Can I Change Your Mind?: The Craft and Art of Persuasive Writing

by Lindsay Camp

These days, we all need the ability to argue a case effectively in
writing. Drawing on his long experience as a leading copywriter,
Lindsay Camp shows how it's done-whether the 'end product' is a glossy magazine ad , a new business proposal , a page for the company website , or just a hasty email to your boss . Engaging, entertaining and-as you'd expect-highly persuasive, Can I Change Your Mind? will change the way you think about the words you use for ever. 'This is a cunning, masterly and hugely readable book. You'll learn
at least as much from how he writes as from what he writes about-and
that's saying a great deal.' Jeremy Bullmore (columnist for Campaign , Management Today and The Guardian ) 'I hope it's read by every marketing manager, sales director, customer relations officer and chief executive in the land.' Jeremy Bullmore

'A masterpiece in persuasive writing.' Management Today, (September 2007)

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Literary Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Answer: Not really.

I've wanted to brush up on my persuasive writings skills for a while as it's something I've been using quite a bit in recent months and I always failed that part of my English language studies at school. I picked two books: this one (obtained from the library) and Persuasive Writing: How to Harness the Power of Words  (which I bought). I'm glad I made this decision.

Can I Change Your Mind? isn't as useful as I was hoping, whereas quickly flicking through my other choice saw me finding some very clear and immediately handy tips. Of the four sections, the first is the worst. The layout and formatting didn't help which is notably better in Persuasive Writing. Camp rambles so I skimmed, proving him right that 'the reader never reads from start to finish', but helpfully, someone who'd read this book previously had underlined the key points in pencil. Defacing a book is wrong, but in this case, acceptable.

'Understanding the reader' is the best chapter of Section One, but although Camp says we shouldn't assume our reader is an idiot, only lacking knowledge, he appears to treat his readers as such because most of what he advises is exceedingly obvious.

The main points to take away are:

✺ Remember (what's appropriate to) the Reader and the (intended) Result
✺ Is this useful / relevant to the reader?
✺ Is it interesting?
✺ Is it enjoyable?
✺ Will it encourage a favourable Response?
✺ Is it Rewarding to the reader? Is it worth reading?

Section Two is comprised of a 61-page A-Z of tips which is the most useful part of the book e.g. adjectives, alliterations, (being) boring, etc.

Badly Behaving Author sensitivities

'For me, true creative writing - Writing as Art, if you like - comes from a completely different rules apply. Ad the most important of these, I believe, is that genuine artists should be driven by self-expression.

This doesn't mean, of course, that they don't care about how people respond to their work. But what it does mean is that they can never let this dictate to them. Artists must always give absolute priority to finding the best possible way of giving shape and substance to their own vision; regardless of whether that makes it more or less 'accessible' to the general public; easier or harder to understand. A real creative writer would never change a single comma just to please the reader.

As persuasive writers, on the other hand, we're perfectly happy to tweak our punctuation - and do much more besides - if it makes our reader more likely to respond in the way we want.' [Chapter 1, underlining mine]

What?! Why are authors of fiction exempt from being classified as persuasive writers? They have to convince readers to finish their story by making it interesting and enjoyable, and generally worth reading. If you want a favourable response from your potential readers, you have to cater to their tastes. If you don't, then you can't complain when few enjoy your work, as Badly Behaving authors often do, with little respect to their reputations.

Therefore, all BBAs should read Section Three, Chapter 5 for how to handle feedback:

✺ Don't panic
✺ Don't take it personally
✺ Don't get pissed off
✺ Be positive - because some feedback helps

editing

Something that really good persuasive writers never stop doing. [Section Two]

Again, authors of fiction are persuasive writers. Also, this book could've been better edited based on the grammar and syntax. What a coincidence.


So while Camp is chatty, and therefore the opposite of concise, there are some helpful tips to be had, but I wouldn't buy this; borrow it, like I did.

Favourite quote:

Think of wit as verbal viagra: a little something that can spice up the relationship between reader and writer.

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great title, but disappointing content.

There were some excellent tips but much of it was obvious. And poorly edited (e.g., many grammatical errors and typos). So points off for a book on how to write better!

[Natasha Coyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given to me by my career mentor, Stewart. A fascinating read that in places really made me smile. Concise writing too, and although it’s not a manual to teach you how to write persuasively, Camp’s style and attention to nuance ensures that the words and ideas seep a little deeper into your mind and you become more reflective on the words you choose but also how not to overthink the words one uses. I genuinely think this book would help a lot of people (and some of their relationships with colleagues and friends). Very enjoyable.

[anonymousreader]

read

[reni · Rating 2 out of 5]

a few very useful tips shared sparingly

[hemlet kiai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a lot of writing books. Most of them are good for flipping through as a reference, but not for reading end-to-end. I really enjoyed reading (from end-to-end) Can I Change Your Mind. The author has a good sense of humor, which he uses in his examples to support his ideas.

As with most writing books, there are few unique ideas in this book. However, this is a great book for providing those reminders that a writer often needs, such as "focus on your audience, not yourself," "write clearly," and "be concise."

[Amanda Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for public speakers and anyone who needs to persuade people to do things. Great title. Easy to understand, easy to apply. This is the sales writing book of common sense. Recommended for writers and speakers.

[Charlotte Diamandis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that will keep you entertained from beggining to end thanks to the humour of the author. you will learn a great deal how to improve your writing , however it does not exactly deliver what the title suggests.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for someone who, like me, is starting out in advertising and wants a 'crash course' in persuasive writing. Highly recommended.

[Pamela Belknap · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. It wasn't quite what I was expecting in a "how-to" book. It was more of an anecdotal book than specifically procedureal.