My current job involves a lot of writing and talking about emerging technology in order to help companies make strategic decisions in a variety of contexts. I have had lots of practice (and live editing sessions as you describe) with pieces of many different lengths for different audiences (specific individuals, conferences, my coworkers, and the press). I don’t know any good substitute for the experience of having people try to follow your arguments and fail, or just refuse to listen to or believe the first however many ways you try to explain something until you succeed.
That said, if someone had asked me before reading this where I learned the most about persuasion, my answer would be… here. All the articles about cognitive biases, how to actually change your mind, and so on, also double as lessons in how to help other people do the same.
As far as persuading those who actively don’t care about arguments or don’t want to be right instead of just being misinformed or not knowing something… rhetoric as a tool to figure out what psychological levers to pull may be the only way to get that result. Spending time just talking to people used to having a lot more power and status than you can be very helpful there, if you approach it right. Or watching others do the same, since trying it yourself is a higher risk approach.
My current job involves a lot of writing and talking about emerging technology in order to help companies make strategic decisions in a variety of contexts. I have had lots of practice (and live editing sessions as you describe) with pieces of many different lengths for different audiences (specific individuals, conferences, my coworkers, and the press). I don’t know any good substitute for the experience of having people try to follow your arguments and fail, or just refuse to listen to or believe the first however many ways you try to explain something until you succeed.
That said, if someone had asked me before reading this where I learned the most about persuasion, my answer would be… here. All the articles about cognitive biases, how to actually change your mind, and so on, also double as lessons in how to help other people do the same.
As far as persuading those who actively don’t care about arguments or don’t want to be right instead of just being misinformed or not knowing something… rhetoric as a tool to figure out what psychological levers to pull may be the only way to get that result. Spending time just talking to people used to having a lot more power and status than you can be very helpful there, if you approach it right. Or watching others do the same, since trying it yourself is a higher risk approach.