How to Argue is not a title that immediately appeals to corporate communicators, especially when the sub‐title is A Student’s Guide. But put aside status and stereotypes; think of persuasive communications as a case which needs to win public acceptance and here are 100 A5 pages of advice. Consider yourself writing another speech for the chairman; ghosting an FT article for her, or rewriting the corporate brochure. Here are tips for refreshing your performance. Five ways to be original (pp. 87‐96): make ideas collide (stakeholder concern against shareholder value?); from minor to major (good corporate practice starts in one head?): listen to what is not said (how to handle bad reputation?); turn ideas on their head (globalization leads to protectionism?); doubt everything (corporate communicators will always be second‐tier officers!).
If you see these parallels between how to argue and ideas and behaviours we engage with, that is because there is an equality between arguing well and communicating persuasively. Indeed Alastair Bonnett presents our business of two‐way communication in the language of his discipline.
Argument should not be about domination and one‐upmanship (p. 100). It is an engagement, a contribution, an intervention in a debate (p. 3‐4). It is about pushing out the boundaries of knowledge in an area. We recognize that academic discourse translated into our professional lives: we make a rational and/or empirical case for our interest in the media; we signal in a speech a compromise with stakeholders, and in the brochure we identify our corporate alignment with new knowledge and best values.
