The Proverb Effect: Secrets to creating tiny phrases that change the world

by Ron Ploof

What do the following statements have in common? They’re all proverbs—the ultimate long-stories short that convey more meaning than the words used to construct them. They’re universally human, independent of time, culture, and language. They’re policies for making better life decisions, passed from the experienced to the inexperienced. And while it’s tempting to dismiss them as droll or trite, doing so just underestimates the roles they play in both human understanding and teaching. The Proverb Effect is the first book to define a repeatable process to convey deep meaning through self-created proverbs. Read it to The best writers, speakers, and teachers use proverbs. You should too.

200 pages, Paperback

Published November 3, 2018

Reviews

[C.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fortune favors the bold

Writing a work of fiction that also teaches the magic and details behind the power and creation is not a small undertaking and yet Ron Ploof has done exactly that.

[Ellen Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about this book while reading "Find Your Red Thread" by Tamsen Webster. I really liked this book and how Ploof used a story to explain the concepts behind Proverbs and why they are important. Some of the content was deeper than I needed but I understand why it was there and how it can be helpful, especially if you are committed to coming up with your own proverbs for presentations. Proverbs quickly sum up ideas in a way that people can remember them. Who doesn't want that? This is a book that I will refer to again and again.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book that argues for the importance of 'proverbial thinking.' Proverbs are better ways to say things. (A stitch in time saves nine.) They provide benefits to the listener: clarity, punch, persuasiveness. Proverbs cover 5 areas of the human condition: feelings, health, achievement, motivations and relationships. They have “you” often, rarely “I.” They use a lot of function words like “that, the, be, to, of, and, a, in, have, I," in order to keep it simple and direct.

They often use metaphors – expressing one idea in terms of another. They’re in the present tense, usually. They often point up fables, allegory, and parables. "Character is destiny" – since proverbs derive from metaphors they often contain the verb ‘is’. Use parables to persuade others elegantly and to make your speech vivid and clear.

[Mike Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book!

I should be in bed, but I had to finish this book in one sitting. It is totally fascinating, the story holds together, and the insights and scholarship have great depth. Most importantly, I learned some very important things that I can hardly wait to apply in my own writing.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely learned a lot but wasn’t a huge fan of the back and forth stories. Much prefer the straight up info which would have made the book 1/3 as long

[Lonzo Sheffield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read It!

Tiny phrases changes a big world. It is the small thing that is the big thing. Do this. Read this book.

[GZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! A study on the power of the proverb in a very readable story. Every business communicator should read this.