Framework for Persuasion Wins Me Over

What exactly is woo? Woo is winning others over. Or if you prefer, the art of persuasion. The authors write it as "simple to say, hard to do".

The authors emphasize the relationships and lay out a number of communication techniques throughout this framework. It truly is a framework that they give the user on how to be more persuasive. It's incredibly tactical and helpful. This is not one of those professional development books about philosophy and theory. Since reading this book not only have I started implementing some of the tactics to the framework, I notice them frequently when I observe my executive colleagues.

They break their Woo Process into four "easy" steps. The problem is that each step is usually a framework or multi-step endeavor. In order to diagnose the best strategy you also need to understand what your personal style is (of which there are five) and you need to understand what channels of persuasion will dominate with your audience (of which they lay out six). That's all before you even get to the pitch.

Like many professional development books, there were plenty of examples here. Many of them were good, but some came with a footnote about the end result being a failure. Some aspects had multiple examples whereas others had none. Many could have easily been cut in the editing process without detracting from the authority with which they were presenting the material.

Overall, I liked this one. As a corporate American, I found it really persuasive. Honestly, I'm curious if I went back through if I would notice where they are using their own Woo Process to convince me of their process. The framework alone is reason enough to read this. Even if the only people you're persuading are your spouse to order your favorite for dinner.

If you're unwilling to commit to the pages, then I recommend checking out this incredible summary. The concepts are invaluable and I personally, will use them as a quick reference in the future.