How to Apologise for Killing a Cat

‘Most books on persuasion teach the few how to sway the many. With wit and vim, Guy has given us something else: an X-ray into the tactics of those trying to change our minds and behaviour.’ - Stephen Krupin, former speechwriter for Barack Obama

How to Apologise for Killing a Cat is an illustrated, modern guide to rhetoric, persuasive language and critical thinking. It’s for anyone who wants to understand how words shape decisions in politics, business and everyday life — and for anyone who wants to become a clearer, more confident communicator.

Guy Doza takes the “dark art” of persuasion (from Aristotle and Cicero to today’s media and social platforms) and explains it in plain English with humour, sharp examples and practical takeaways.

Rhetoric isn’t just for parliament, courtrooms and keynote stages. It lives in meetings, texts, emails, adverts, interviews, speeches, debates, dating apps, pub arguments and those tense moments when you have to say sorry and make it stick.

If you’ve ever felt talked into something, talked over, or talked around, this book is your toolbox.

You’ll learn how influence works, why certain arguments feel “true” even when they’re built on shaky logic, and how skilled speakers use style, structure, emotion and credibility to win an audience. You’ll also learn how to defend yourself against manipulation, spin, propaganda and fake-news “evidence” without losing your cool.

What you’ll learn and practise:
• The three pillars of classical rhetoric: logos (logic), ethos (authority/credibility) and pathos (emotion) and how to balance them in persuasive writing and public speaking
• Speechwriting and presentation skills: audience analysis, framing, emphasis, rhythm, tone, storytelling, rhetorical questions and memorable phrasing
• Rhetorical devices and figures of speech that make messages stick: such as repetition, the rule of three (tricolon), anaphora, and epistrophe
• How arguments work under the hood: syllogisms, informal logic, evidence, and how “walls of logic” can be built from bad assumptions
• The classic dirty tricks of persuasion: character attacks, reputation management, comprobatio (strategic flattery), occultatio (saying something by pretending you won’t) and more
• Logical fallacies, misleading statistics and rhetorical sleight of hand — plus how to spot them...