- This presentation will cover:
- The persuasive context.
- The role of the audience.
- What to research and cite.
- How to establish your credibility.
- What is Persuasive
- Writing?
- Persuasive writing seeks to convince its readers to embrace the point-of-view presented by appealing to the audience’s reason and understanding through argument and/or entreaty.
- You encounter persuasion every day:
- TV Commercials
- Letters to the Editor
- Junk mail
- Magazine ads
- College brochures
- Can you think of other persuasive contexts?
- Understand your audience.
- Support your opinion.
- Know the various sides of your issue.
- Respectfully address other points of view.
- Find common ground with your audience.
- Establish your credibility.
- When to Persuade
- an Audience
- Your organization needs funding for a project.
- Your boss wants you to make recommendations for a course of action.
- You need to shift someone’s current point of view to build common ground so action can be taken.
- Who is your audience?
- What beliefs do they hold about the topic?
- What disagreements might arise between you and your audience?
- How can you refute counterarguments with respect?
- Understanding Your Audience
- What concerns does your audience face?
- For example:
- Do they have limited funds to distribute?
- Do they feel the topic directly affects them?
- How much time do they have to consider your document?
- Understanding Your Audience
- Help your audience relate to your topic.
- Appeal to their hearts as well as their minds.
- Use anecdotes when appropriate
- Paint your topic in with plenty of detail
- Involve the reader’s senses in these sections
- Become familiar with all sides of an issue.
- You can try to:
- Find common ground.
- Understand the history of the topic.
- Predict counterarguments your audience might make.
- Find strong support for your own perspective.
- Find common ground with your audience.
- For example:
- Point of Opposition: You might support a war, whereas your audience might not.
- Common ground: Both sides want to see their troops come home.
- Predict counterarguments.
- For example:
- Your Argument: Organic produce from local Farmers’ Markets is better than store-bought produce.
- The Opposition: Organic produce is too expensive.
- Appeal to the audience’s reason:
- Use statistics and reputable studies.
- Cite experts on the topic:
- Do they back up what you say?
- Do they refute the other side?
- Cite Sources with
- Some Clout
- Which source would a reader find more credible?
- The New York Times
- http://www.myopinion.com
- Which person would a reader be more likely to believe?
- Joe Smith from Fort Wayne, IN.
- Dr. Susan Worth, Prof. of Criminology at Purdue University.
- Cite credible sources
- Cite sources correctly and thoroughly.
- Use professional language (and design).
- Edit out all errors.
- Don’t misrepresent a quote or leave out important information.
- Misquote: “Crime rates were down by 2002,” according to Dr. Smith.
- Actual quote: “Crime rates were down by 2002, but steadily began climbing again a year later,” said Dr. Smith.
- Don’t lecture or talk down to your audience.
- Don’t make threats or “bully” your reader.
- Don’t employ guilt trips.
- Be careful if using the second person, “you.”
- Where to Go
- for More Help
- Purdue University Writing Lab, Heavilon 226
- Check our web site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu
- Email brief questions to OWL Mail:
- https://owl.english.purdue.edu/contact/owlmailtutors
- EFFECTIVE PERSUASION
- DANA BISIGNANI
- Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab
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