Over her nearly five years as The New York Times’ Op-Ed editor, overseeing the selection and editing of personal, political, and other outside-submitted pieces, Trish Hall sometimes got complaints that the newspaper discriminated against women. Indeed, the Times’ Op-Ed page had fewer female than male voices. But it was because the vast majority of submissions came from men.

Women, and girls, can be more hesitant to speak up in an ever-louder, shriller, more bluster- and interruption-filled world—in daily conversation as well as the more formal setting of the op-ed page. Drawing from her new book Writing to Persuade: How to Bring People Over to Your Side, Hall discusses how women (and men, too) can find their voices—breaking through the clutter, getting attention, and even bringing people over to their side.