How to Win an Argument: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Persuasion

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Sep 2016 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Simon Vance

Audiobook

3 hr 3 min

Unabridged

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About this audiobook

All of us are faced countless times with the challenge of persuading others, whether we're trying to win a trivial argument with a friend or convince our coworkers about an important decision. Instead of relying on untrained instinct—and often failing as a result—we'd win more arguments if we learned the timeless art of verbal persuasion, rhetoric. How to Win an Argument gathers the rhetorical wisdom of Cicero from across his works and combines it with passages from his legal and political speeches to show his powerful techniques in action. The result is an enlightening and practical introduction to the secrets of persuasive speaking and writing—including strategies that are just as effective in today's offices, schools, courts, and political debates as they were in the Roman forum.

How to Win an Argument addresses proof based on rational argumentation, character, and emotion; the parts of speech; the plain, middle, and grand styles; how to persuade no matter what audience or circumstances you face; and more. Astonishingly relevant, this anthology of Cicero's rhetorical and oratorical wisdom will be enjoyed by anyone who ever needs to win arguments and influence people.

About the author

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) was a Roman statesman and philosopher whose lifetime coincided with the decline and fall of the Roman republic. His best-known works include On the Republic, On Duties, and Treatises on Friendship and Old Age.

Simon Vance, a former BBC Radio presenter and newsreader, is a full-time actor who has appeared on both stage and television. He has recorded over eight hundred audiobooks and has earned five coveted Audie Awards, and he has won fifty-seven Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, which has named him a Golden Voice.

James May is professor of classics, the Kenneth O. Bjork distinguished professor, and former provost and dean at St. Olaf College. An award-winning teacher, he is a widely recognized expert on Cicero and classical rhetoric, and he has written and edited many books on these topics. He lives in Northfield, Minnesota.

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