Howtoapologiseforkillingacat-Guy Doza

'Most books on persuasion teach the few how tosway the many. With wit and vim, Guy has givenus something else: an X-ray into the tactics ofthose trying to change our minds and behaviour.' -Stephen Krupin,former speechwriter for Barack Obama

When Winston Churchill spoke in Parliament, he convinced an empire to go to war. When Martin Luther King spoke in Washington, he convinced millions to open their hearts to change. When Oprah Winfrey said: 'Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do,' she also used rhetoric. As we have here, by deploying the rule of three to stress a point.

Rhetoric - the art of persuasive speaking and writing - often gets a bad rap.In this dazzling, fast-paced guide, speechwriter Guy Doza rescues rhetoric from the shadows and showcases its immense power to change lives, for good and bad.

Highlighting punchy sayings from Ancient Rome to modern marketing, he shows how leaders, businesses and even our own friends use rhetorical techniques every day to make convincing arguments.

What's more, this guide to rhetoric will show you how to learn to use this persuasive language in your own life:

• How to convince an investor to back your venture
• What to say to a potential lover in a bar
• And, the six rules of apology you should use if you ever accidentally run over the next-door neighbour's cat...

How to Apologise for Killing a Cat is a quick read, humorous and highly practicable. It decodes the tricks and techniques of rhetoric for everyday readers.

It's theonly book you need to make a convincing marketingpitch.

It's the only book you need to give a rousing speech.

It's theonly book you need to write persuasively.

It's the best book to explain the technique we've just used here. After reading this book, you will start to see the trick of rhetoric used everywhere.

After reading this book, you will never see the worldthe same way again!

About the author

Guy Doza is a speechwriter and trainer. He has a Master's degree in Rhetoric from the University of London and uses rhetoric in the speeches he writes for senior politicians and business leaders.

Extract

Have you ever had that unpleasant anxiety of taking your carto the mechanic and feeling like you're being swindled? Mostof you will probably know exactly what I am talking about.We don't know how cars work, we don't know what the partsare called and we don't know how to fix them ourselves. Thislack of knowledge makes us vulnerable and susceptible toexploitation, and we know it. So does the mechanic.

Now, most mechanics are honest individuals, not rogues,but can we say the same of people who run countries andbig companies? When it comes to ordinary life away fromthe car engine or central heating boiler, most of us don'teven realise just how vulnerable we are. People can usepersuasive language to swindle us, cheat us, and exploit usto the hilt. And the worst part is that we are not even awarethat it is happening.

Welcome to rhetoric, the art of persuasion. Rhetoric is asuperpower. It can alter the way we think, the way we behaveand sometimes even the way we live our lives. And its most explosive charge lies in its subtlety. We need to be aware ofhow such persuasive language is used, not only so that wecan be more persuasive ourselves, but defend ourselves against the rhetorical advances of thosewho would seek to exploit us.

For too long, rhetoric has been a dark and ancient artconfined to the secretive circles of politics and academia.This mystery and misunderstanding has often led tothe public to consider it to be the tool of crooks, spindoctors and villains. But no more! The time has come tobring rhetoric out of the darkness and show it for what itis: a mighty linguistic tool. Whether it is a conversationbetween friends in a caf, a pathetic attempt to flirtat a bar, or a meaningful conversation with a world renownedphilosopher, rhetoric is everywhere.

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