Larry McEnerney's video opens by asserting how academics (and others) write not to persuade, but as an integral part of their personal thinking/explaining process. Instead, for grant applications and other works, they need to be persuading. The remainder of the talk is focused on tools for writing persuasively, such as understanding the audience, complying with the reader's expectations, and creating enough controversy/difference that the work is seen as new and building upon prior art.