But You Did Not Persuade Me

This is a pitfall I see startup founders getting into frequently[1]. Some people think that as soon as they start their own startup that gives them a position of authority, they can tell others what to do and that's it. Unfortunately, even the CEO (perhaps even <i>especially</i> the CEO) still has to have skills of persuasion to get others to do as they ask.<p>[1] Really, it's a pitfall that anyone (myself included) can get into when they obtain a position of authority.

Don't disagree with the power of persuasion but the approach of expecting you to be persuaded is flawed I think. It makes the other person responsible for expressing his/her point effectively enough that you understand the importance of it. Tech industry particularly is rife with people who are extraordinary developers but very poor communicators. People like these are highly at disadvantage with the "persuade me" stance. I think if you are the decision maker, higher authority then it is your responsibility to have the insight to see the value of the point being made and not really hope to be nagged like a toddler into making a decision.

Unless Atwood had previously been <i>against</i> MLK's Birmingham Campaign, why would he use "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" as an example of a persuasive essay? I suppose there's the historical evidence that the letter is persuasive, but it sounds a lot more like Atwood is saying that he is judging the letter based on how persuasive it felt <i>to him</i>, which is silly since he already agreed with the premise. Much better to cite an essay which effectively persuades to a claim that most (modern) readers do <i>not</i> already accept.

I'm never very easy on Atwood and I won't start to be now. However, I love this part of that movie. It's very nice. (have to balance comments some time :) )<p>I'll set aside what I think about including a comparison to "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" to the rest of the things discussed in the post.