Comment: Larry stresses that knowing our readers is essential for creating value and being persuasive in our writing. He argues that persuasion hinges on understanding and addressing the doubts and concerns of the target audience. Without a deep understanding of the readers, we will struggle to effectively overcome their doubts and create compelling arguments.If you do not know your readers, the particular people in a community, if you do not know these people, you are very unlikely to create value and you are very unlikely to be persuasive because persuasion depends on what they doubt.
If you don’t know what they doubt, how on earth you’re gonna overcome those doubts?
You must know them.
Credit: Larry McEnerney
Source: The Craft of Writing Effectively | Larry McEnerney
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In-person, 7–11 September 2026, Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. Many leadership approaches still rely on control, expertise, and tools that no longer fit the realities people face.
This week-long immersive workshop brings people together to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience. It is not a training course but a space to slow down, think together, and explore how leadership emerges through dialogue, responsibility, and real engagement.