4 ms·

Beyond amusing, it's great writing. I see we've already changed the title but I wish we hadn't! I bet it's really persuasive for offenders. 1. Lull the reader

Beyond amusing, it's great writing. I see we've already changed the title but I wish we hadn't! I bet it's really persuasive for offenders. 1. Lull the reader into a false sense of security: This article is going to help you with a problem! 2. Really dig into it: Share a highly relevant story and connect with the reader's current frustration. Make it as clear as possible that the reader is understood. 3. Now that you have a shared foundation, introduce your argument. Discussions that start with the argument immediately don't stick as well to a lot of people. Give them a reason to listen.

BSVino 8y ago
Hello, article author here. I admit that the title is a bit clickbaity, but I paid careful attention while writing to make sure that the title is 100% correct. At the end of the process your coworker will agree with you -- only it may be because you changed your mind, rather than your coworker. You're basically spot on with my strategy in writing the article. I stole it from Extreme Ownership, an excellent book that uses a similar tactic. The authors begin each chapter telling a story wherein they made a serious mistake, but leads the reader through their logic in making the mistake such that the reader is thoroughly convinced that the mistake was the right thing to do. Then they reveal the mistake and boom! The reader learns. I found it to be a very effective way of teaching soft skills so I emulated it here. I don't want to trick anyone into reading an article that doesn't have any value to them so if folks feel that the title was inaccurate I'm totally OK with the thread title being changed. But I would point out that it means a totally different thing now that no longer reflects what's in my article. :)
- master-litty 8y ago
  Thanks for sharing the thought process and for crediting the book, ordering it now :)

BSVino 8y ago

Hello, article author here. I admit that the title is a bit clickbaity, but I paid careful attention while writing to make sure that the title is 100% correct. At the end of the process your coworker will agree with you -- only it may be because you changed your mind, rather than your coworker. You're basically spot on with my strategy in writing the article. I stole it from Extreme Ownership, an excellent book that uses a similar tactic. The authors begin each chapter telling a story wherein they made a serious mistake, but leads the reader through their logic in making the mistake such that the reader is thoroughly convinced that the mistake was the right thing to do. Then they reveal the mistake and boom! The reader learns. I found it to be a very effective way of teaching soft skills so I emulated it here. I don't want to trick anyone into reading an article that doesn't have any value to them so if folks feel that the title was inaccurate I'm totally OK with the thread title being changed. But I would point out that it means a totally different thing now that no longer reflects what's in my article. :)

master-litty 8y ago
Thanks for sharing the thought process and for crediting the book, ordering it now :)