6 reasons analogy is more persuasive than literal language

Metaphor is more persuasive than literal language: It’s been proven in the lab.

Make that 41 labs over more than 50 years.

Or so say Pradeep Sopory and James Price Dillard. The two researchers reviewed 41 data-based studies on the persuasiveness of metaphor published between 1952 and 2006. Then they analyzed the studies to determine what made metaphors more or less persuasive.

Bottom line: Metaphors are more persuasive than literal messages, Sopory and Dillard found.

But why?

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How readers process metaphors People feel good when they figure analogies out Up close and personal Metaphor creates intimacy, builds understanding

Make Magic With Metaphor

Charm readers with compelling comparisons

It’s tempting to call metaphor the magic spell in a writer’s repertoire, the Penn and Teller of the page.

Metaphor has the power to persuade far better than literal language. It lets you say in five words what would otherwise take five paragraphs to explain. It makes readers’ brains light up, helps them think more broadly about your message — even (ahem!) makes you look more attractive.

But, as with other forms of magic, you’ll want to master a few tricks before you step onto the stage.

At Master the Art of the Storyteller — our two-day creative-writing master class on Feb. 23-24, 2017, in Los Angeles — you’ll learn how to charm readers with the magic of metaphor.

Specifically, you’ll learn how to:

• Get the zombies out of your message: Don’t let Dead and Dead2 metaphors eat your readers’ brains.
• Get an analogy during an interview by asking one simple question.
• Create a metaphor with our simple, four-step process.
• Craft a compelling metaphor with our fill-in-the-blanks formula.
• Polish your metaphor: Learn which kinds of metaphors to choose, which to avoid and where in your message to place them from 41 academic studies covering 50 years of research.

This is the only writing workshop we have planned in Los Angeles in 2017. Don’t miss out on your chance to Master the Art of the Storyteller in LA! Register now.

Polish your skills at these Master Classes

Learn to Master the Art of the Storyteller, Catch Your Readers, Get Clicked, Cut Through the Clutter and more

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