PERSUASIVE WRITING

1
PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Methods for getting people to agree with your
  position on an issue.

2
Make them FEEL something
Emotional appeals Pathos

• FEAR
• ANGER
• JOY
• SHAME
• SAFE
• INSPIRED

• ELATION
• ALARM
• DISGUSTED
• RESPONSIBLE
• EMPOWERED
• JUSTIFIED

3
Make it seem like common sense.

• Logical appeals Logos
• Anybody can see that...
• As everyone knows...
• It is quite clear that

4
Appeal to their sense of right and wrong.

• Ethical appeals ethos
• We need to do this for the good of our
  children.
• It is not morally right that we let this
  behavior continue.

5
Have KNOWLEDGE.

• Be sure to sound like you know what youre
  talking about.
• Use specific facts, figures and anecdotal
  evidence.
• Why should anyone agree with you if you dont
  know what youre discussing?

6
Have CONVICTION.

• Nobody wants this more than you.
• If you dont sound like you really believe in
  your cause, then how do you expect to persuade
  others?

7
Use HUMOR.

• Make fun of the opponents views, but NOT of the
  opponents themselves.
• Be VERY careful when using this technique you
  dont want to offend your reader.

8
Answer the opposing argument.

• You need to acknowledge the other side of the
  issue.
• At the very least, address the main opposing
  viewpoint, and show how your ideas or solutions
  answer that viewpoint.

9
FUTURE PROBABILITIES

• What will happen if we do it your way? (Show how
  wonderful it will be.)
• What will happen if we dont? (Show us the
  disastrous results.)

10
Organization

• Chronological
• Sequential
• Least important to most important
• Deductive reasoning
• Inductive reasoning