Customer Reviews

Artful Persuasion: How to Command Attention, Change Minds, and Influence People

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There is a common misconception that "knowledge is power".

It isn't.

Just 'having' knowledge merely qualifies you to play Trivial Pursuit.
Knowledge only translates into power, or in this case "persuasion", IF you know how to USE that knowledge effectively.

This book leans heavily on the "knowledge=power" misconception for it's appeal.
It is a typical example of what I call "sweeper" writing. That is to say, though it claims to be offering to tell you "how" to do something (in this case, "How to command attention, change minds, and influence people") it actually only tells you "what" to do. It covers the gap with a stream of brief stories of the "Wow, I never knew that!" variety, "swept up" from a whole slew of books on more or less the same subject.

It is my perception that *anybody* who has read the same set of source books, and has a reasonable grasp of written English, could have produced this book, regardless of whether they had any prior knowledge or experience of the subject.

For beginners (in any subject), especially those who set more store by what they "know" rather than by what they can actually "do", this "canned knowledge" approach can be very attractive. Indeed, it may well lead them to assume that the book itself is of some value.

For the more discerning reader - one who wishes to be able to put their knowledge to work - this favourable impression lasts just about as long as it takes them to find a more pragmatically-oriented text.

If you *really* want to be well-informed about "the new psychology of influence" I'd recommend Robert Cialdini's classic "Influence", and for an introductory handbook on the effective and responsible use of influence/persuasion, Andrew Bradbury's "Develop Your NLP Skills".

Both books are well-written (that is, easy to read) yet contain far more *practical* information than "Artful Persuasion".

This book clearly speaks to some interesting research concerning persuasion and influence, however, it appeared to me that anyone with exposure to Dr. Cialdini's research would find this repetitive and more focused on training those who would wish to become "black market" persuaders. I might also argue that the more interesting parts of Mr. Mills book appeared to be a re-write of Cialdini's work.

While it is an o.k. book for those with no background in persuasion or social psychology, I would recommend reading "Influence-Science and Practice" and/or "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Dr. Cialdini. Many of the points made in Mr. Mills books relates to the research studied in both of these books. However, Dr. Cialdini's books are more enjoyable to read, more informative and instructive, and clearly speaks to the ethics of persuasion with sincere eloquence.

There are dozens of excellent books on the subject of persuasion. This is one of the best. Mills explains "how to command attention, change minds, and influence people." His writing style is crisp, his material is very well organized, he includes an abundance of examples to illustrate his key points, and he concludes the book with an analysis of "the most influential persuaders of the twentieth century", Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. The book consists of four Parts:

How Persuasion Works (eg four patterns of influence) Thoughtful Persuasion (eg how to build trust and sell your expertise, how to give words added impact)

Mindless Influence (eg the seven "persuasion triggers" of automatic influence)

Persuasion at Its Best (ie Roosevelt and Churchill)

One of Mills's most effective devices is the checklist. Throughout the book, it enables him to summarize key points in appropriate clusters. This is especially helpful for future reference, after the book has been read and functions as a reference source.

This book will be invaluable to you if you want to strengthen your ability to "command attention, change minds, and influence people." It will also be invaluable to you when interacting with others who have also read Mills's book and are applying what the learned.

I enjoyed reading this book a great deal. As an author of non-fiction career materials myself, I find that Harry Mills gathers the best of the material about persuasion and influence into one package. I reviewed the book, featuring it because the book is very important for technical professionals to know how to persuade and to recognize when they are being influenced.

This is an excellent book if you are a public speaker, but it is also for anyone who would want to know the techniques that "professional influencers" use.

My work as an independent contractor based in Brooklyn doesn't leave me with too much time to search for books, let alone to review one. Restoring brownstones and renovating apartment houses are my pleasures and arts, and keep me busy here in our wonderfully self-renewing city.

When my brother gave me Artful Persuasion two weeks after he joined my company, I said, "Thanks, but I'm too busy getting us new contracts to read this....". He interrupted me, "That's exactly why you should read this, now."

I don't often agree with my younger brother, but Mizan was right.

Harry Mills has created a power tool here.

I have 3 copies now, for my home, my van and my office. It's not easy to negotiate with owners of properties which have every potential to reveal themselves--with the help of my workers and plans- as urban sanctuaries. Persuasion is a two way street, of course. The buyers of my services , whether new buyers or experienced landlords, righfully expect the best from me. I rightfully expect top payment from them.

Harry Mills helps me to persuade my clients that my expectations are quite fair. The contracts which I have signed since starting to use his book do not resemble my earlier ones, except for my signature and address. This book is put together so that I can find what I need at once. His specific techniques are really easy to remember and to use. He has made reading the book fun, too. Because he organized it like a superb tool-box, I can make the time to return to it with pleasure again and again. Nothing boring, no nonsense burns my fingers in this book.

You have no time to read a new book right now? Buy and read Artful Persuasion. You will soon have more money, which you can then translate into more time, especially if you have a reliable brother to join your business.

On the whole this is a good book but I am only giving it 3 stars due to the fact that the last half of the Book is almost a word for word rewrite of "Influence Science and Practise" by Robert Cialdini.

This book contains a lot of useful tips on how to influence groups as well as individuals which makes it useful for public speakers and Marketing people and not just salesman.

Mr Mills has written a very useful book on influential communication with an emphasis on effectiveness and efficacy! I particularly found part 3 especially valuable. This section focuses on persuasion triggers. Of particular value are the persuasion pointers at the end of each chapter. He also tabulated some of the information thereby making it easy to understand the topic without having to plough to through lengthy paragraphs. Paragraphs themselves are sharp, crisp and short. The 'signposting' is also effective. The exercise on persuasion IQ at the beginning of the book is a very good tool to measure your effectuveness as a persuader. Recommended buy for anyone in negotiating, sales, marketing, advertising or winning people!

Engrossing! This book is not just for corporate negotiations; it is for anyone who interacts with others. The author lists specific tips for inspiring confidence. For instance, your body language and tone of voice can be just as important as your words. The book is loaded with real-life examples of persuasion in action, and public relations strategies that anyone can apply to their lives. Read it and empower yourself. Norman Vincent Peale gave us "The Power of Positive thinking. Harry Mills now offers us "Artful Persuasion." Update your communication skills folks, Why not?

As a lawyer you come to appreciate that persuasion is truly an art.Harry Mills book,like all of his business books,is a pragmatic guide to the fudamentals underpinning persuasion.Recognise what your doing learn what your not.You won't need to read far to get your money back if your required to persuade as part of your living.Very highly recomended.

Mills has been able to capture the key components to helping people by working to change the information they have; thereby, changing their performance. It is an easy read and provides for a broad range of readers - from .com folks to "old fashioned" managers and administrators. Well done!