Advocacy: Championing Ideas and Influencing Others [Hardcover]

John A. Daly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2011 | ISBN-10: 030016775X | ISBN-13: 978-0300167757 | Edition: 1

When a group of people gather together to generate ideas for solving a problem or achieving a goal, sometimes the best ideas are passed over. Worse, a problematic suggestion with far less likelihood of success may be selected instead. Why would a group dismiss an option that would be more effective? Leadership and communications expert John Daly has a straightforward answer: it wasn't sold to them as well. If the best idea is yours, how can you increase the chances that it gains the support of the group? In Advocacy: Championing Ideas and Influencing Others, Daly explains in full detail how to transform ideas into practice.

To be successful, leaders in every type of organization must find practical and action-oriented ways to market their ideas and achieve buy-in from the members of the group. Daly offers a comprehensive action guide that explains how to shape opinion, inspire action, and achieve results. Drawing on current research in the fields of persuasion, power relations, and behavior change, he discusses the complex factors involved in selling an idea--the context of the communication, the type of message being promoted, the nature and interests of the audience, the emotional tenor of the issues at stake, and much more. For the businessperson, politician, or any other member of a group who seeks the satisfaction of having his or her own idea take shape and become reality, this book is an essential guide.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Politics of Ideas
Chapter 2. Communicate Your Idea with Impact
Chapter 3. Frame Your Advocacy Message
Chapter 4. Build Your Reputation, Create a Brand
Chapter 5. Form Alliances
Chapter 6. Your Idea Is Only as Good as Its Story
Chapter 7. Who's Making the Decision?
Chapter 8. Network!
Chapter 9. Timing Is Everything
Chapter 10. Create Persuasive Messages
Chapter 11. Make the Idea Matter
Chapter 12. Make a Memorable Case
Chapter 13. Demonstrate Confidence
Chapter 14. Steer Meetings Your Way
Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Daly, a distinguished communications expert, has produced an exceptional study, which is comprehensive and well documented. . . . This book is certainly a critical piece of scholarship for the business/management curriculum and a great selection for academic libraries."—J.B. Kashner, Choice

(J.B. Kashner Choice )

About the Author

John A. Daly is the Liddell Professor of Communication, TCB Professor of Management, and University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 387 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (August 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030016775X
• ISBN-13: 978-0300167757
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you ever have to sell an idea, buy this book. October 15, 2011

By Barry Mike

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you're of the idealistic bent that believes that the best ideas always win out, or that the products and services that companies and non-profits produce always represent the best they can possibly do, then this book is not for you. But get in touch, because I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.

For the rest of us, those of us who at some point will have to convince someone else of the value of our ideas, this book is indispensible.

You'd never know that, though, by the marketing of this book. In particular, don't be misled by:

The title: this is not a book for professional advocates, that is, lawyers. It is designed for people who have ideas to share, and are trying to figure out how to get them implemented. Which is almost everyone but lawyers.

The publisher: the presumption may be that, coming from a university press, the book is going to be arcane, obscure, unreadable - you-name-it - but this book is exactly the opposite - clear, compelling, convincing.

For better or worse, I read a lot of business "best-sellers," and this book is far superior to most. Why? Unlike many, if not most business books, the advice in this book is:

Actionable. So many business books speak in vapid generalities (E.g., "the key to leadership is courage; to be a great leader, be courageous". Sounds great, less filling. Daly provides a near endless supply of very specific, very concrete advice for advocates, from where to sit at a meeting, to how to dress, to the kind of language to use, etc.

Research-based. A lot of Daly's advice is counter-intuitive (e.g., people may judge your competence less by what you actually say than by who you're seen hanging around with. But it is all rooted in the results of research by social psychologists, communication researchers, organization development specialists, etc.

Readable. Daly has the gift of great college professors: he wears his knowledge and expertise lightly. Despite the weighty wisdom on which it is based - the book has the depth and richness of a textbook - it reads more like a business best-seller.

Realistic and honest. Academics in the behavioral sciences are cashing in these days with business best sellers. And while often well-written and enthusiastic, these authors can't help having a little bit of academic arrogance creep in: isn't it amazing what we've discovered? And hey, do what we say and you'll become... successful, popular, rich, famous, [fill-in the blank]. Daly has none of that; over and over again he makes the limits and boundaries of suggested behaviors clear.

Two final notes. First, while Daly covers all the bases of advocacy, his heart and enthusiasm are clearer in some chapters than in others. For example, his chapters on building a personal brand ("Build Your Reputation, Create a Brand,") and the role of coming across confidently in successful advocacy ("Demonstrate Confidence,") are superb, providing insights and behavioral tips that you'd probably only be able to get from an elite executive coach costing thousands of dollars. But his chapter on telling your story, however necessary, simply doesn't provide the same level of insight (you don't need a consultant to tell you that if you're going to tell a story, tell it well.)

Second, if this book suffers from anything, it is the vice of its virtues. That is, this book has so many insights and behavioral tips, that one could easily be overwhelmed trying to implement them all at the same time. The best way to use it is to focus on the two-three behaviors most likely to help you in particular in selling your idea, and thoroughly master them before moving on to the next one.

That said, if you are ever going to be in a situation where someone has to choose among ideas, including yours, this is a must have book. Because if you haven't read it, the odds are someone with a competing idea will have. And then, you might as well pack up and go home.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the one book you'll want on persuasion, power, and influence July 15, 2011

By mnomalley

Format:Hardcover

Many ideas are generated in the context of groups. Many of these ideas will lay dormant, then die. Sometimes these ideas, good ones, will be yours. If you want your ideas to cut through the noise and gain the attention of others, then you will want to read Daly's book. Advocacy puts all of the research on communications and change tactics in one place. Accessibly written, Daly covers what every champion of an idea must consider in order to see that his or her idea is enacted over the alternatives. This includes the context, timing, and nature of messages -- and much more. Whereas change agents can use elements of power to their advantage, this isn't a book about making people do things. The people who accept your ideas also are the ones who are needed to realize them. Fundamentally, then, this is a book is about building group allegiance to an idea that just happens to be yours.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! September 25, 2011

By Alejandro Garcia De La V

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The first time I listened to a conference from John Daly, it caught me in the first minutes. The communication skills any professional must have are usually forgotten by most of the people. I bought this book and what I liked the most is that his ideas are very applicable to any job situation. This is not one of those books that give you the "10 steps to be a successful Tycoon, the fast track to be the next Steve Jobs", this is not that kind of book. This is the kind of book that gives you very useful tips and insights about the people you work with every day in a 360 degrees vision. You can apply these ideas to your subordinates, colleagues, bosses and customers in a very practical and effective way.