How Highly Effective People Speak
Effective communication, according to Peter D. Andrei, is more of a science than most people think. It’s not, as some people believe, some obscure art that can only be mastered by the most charismatic and graceful among us. Instead, it’s a complex craft that can be studied and learned, and its strategies can be broken down and used by anyone.
Most books on speech and communication say the same things: “Keep it simple, be authentic, use emotion to persuade, speak with confidence,” and so on. In How Highly Effective People Speak, Andrei argues that most of these truisms about speech aren’t wrong, per se, but they only scratch the surface.
The key to effective communication is to understand cognitive biases: patterns of thinking that affect human behavior and perception. You can use them to persuade and influence others in predictable ways. Whether intentionally or not, the most effective speakers and writers throughout history have activated their audience’s cognitive biases to make their communication persuasive, and you can do the same.
We’ll first briefly touch on the morality of rhetoric and why appealing to cognitive biases isn’t inherently unethical. Then, we’ll explore some of the most powerful and influential biases you can use to make your communication more persuasive and effective. Then, we’ll explain Andrei’s strategies and how to practice them.