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Persuasive Writing
Persuasive writing is writing that sets out to influence or change an audiences thoughts or actions. It
is also known as the argument essay, as it utilises logic and reason to show that one idea is more
legitimate than another idea. It attempts to persuade a reader to adopt a certain point of view or to take
a particular action. The argument must always use sound reasoning and solid evidence by stating facts,giving logical reasons, using examples and quoting experts.
7
T O P I C O V E R V I E W
7.1 Types of Persuasive Writing
7.2 Persuasive Strategies
7.3 The Reasoning Process
7.4 Direct and Indirect Patterns of
Organisation
7.5 Voice and Credibility
Summary
Glossary
Test 1
Test 2
References
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. comprehend the nature of persuasive writing;
2. identify different types of persuasive writing;
3. identify the reasons for and purposes of persuasive writing; and
4. comprehend how to plan persuasive strategies
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MIND MAP
PERSUASIVE WRITING
Types ofPersuasive Writing
Direct and IndirectPatterns of OrganisationThe Reasoning Process
Voice and CredibilityPersuasive Strategies
Reasons for andPurposes ofPersuasive Writing
Types of ReasoningProcesses
Source of Information,Relating to Argumentsand Evidence
Planning PersuasiveStrategies
EmphasisingReaders' Benefits
Addressing Readers'
ConcernsShowing SoundReasoning
Presenting ReliableEvidence
There are three types of persuasive writing as shown in Figure 7.1.
Types of PersuasiveWriting
Concession/RebuttalAssertion Proof
Figure 7.1: Types of persuasive writing
TYPES OF PERSUASIVE WRITING7.1
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ACTIVITY
What do you think is
persuasive writing?
ACTIVITY
What are the
differences between
the three types of
persuasive writing? In
your opinion, what are
the contexts which callfor these types of
writing?
(a) Assertion
An assertion is when the writer asserts a certain opinion to the
reader. The assertion may state the problem or controversy and
may appear clearly and succinctly. After stating the
controversy, the writer should clearly present the assertion,
which will be expressed in the thesis statement. By goingthrough the text, the reader should know what side of the
argument or issue the writer is on.
(b) Concession/Rebuttal
The next important type is concession/rebuttal. The writer should remember that there are other
views that differ from the writer s views. Failure to include them may indicate to the readers that
the writer is either ignorant or dishonest. It is also important that the writer does not exaggerate
or distort the opponents view. The writer does not have to defend the opposing side but fairly
and reasonably state what these views are.
(c) ProofThe third type is proof. It is similar to the body of the
expository essay, which presents the thesis statements support.
A persuasive essay presents the evidence for the assertion. A
generalisation or assertion using a series of facts, examples,
instances and observations can support the argument. In all
persuasive essays the contents should contain a brief but
compelling restatement of the assertion.
There are, in fact, many reasons and purposes for persuasive writing. The first reason is to influence or
change an audiences thoughts or actions. Through our writing, we want people to believe us,
remember what we have written and will take the necessary action based on our written work. How
convincingly we put our words in order will determine whether our document will work or otherwise.
To do this, we need to appeal to their reason, emotions and their good character.
The reasoning process works in two modes, namely induction and deduction. Deduction begins
with a general principle or premise and draws a specific conclusion from it. For example:
All people who drink liquor endanger their health. (Major premise)
My good friend, John, drinks. (Minor premise)
Therefore, my friend is endangering his health. (Conclusion) Is this a strong argument?
Reasons for and Purposes of Persuasive Writing 7.1.1
Types of Reasoning Processes7.1.2
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ACTIVITY7 . 1
Create a number of different
scenarios to give to small
groups of students. The
following are two examples:(a) A group of students are
putting forward the
argument with teachers
and the principal that
they should get a week
away from regular
classes and carry out
fund-raising activities for
local charities.
(b) A group of part-time
employees at a local
fast food restaurant is
arguing with theemployer that a union
would be beneficial.
Give each small group a
different scenario. Have the
group imagine at least three
counter arguments to its
position and then decide
how to deal with these.
You need to offer evidence to support your claims.
It may be impossible to prove the cause-effect link between
my friend, Johns drinking habit and declining health.
Other issues you may bring in to support your argument. Impact on drinking on other members of the family.
A large number of people who died from drunkenness.
Induction, on the other hand, supports a general conclusion by
examining specific facts or cases. For example, I can cite
examples on the effect of drinking on John. He becomes violent,
angry and always loses his temper. He quarrels and fights with his
wife, breaks things in the house and spends lots of money on
liquor.
he process itself appeals to reason, emotion and our good
personality and character.
(a) Appeal to Reason
Remember that an argument is an appeal to a persons sense
of reason; it is not a violent fight, dispute or disagreement. It
is a measured, logical way of trying to persuade others to
agree with you. One thing to remember is that there are at
least two sides to every issue. If you take the attitude that
there is only one side your side you are likely to alienate
your reader.
You then need to choose one side of an issue clearly in an effort to persuade others. If you are
unsure of your own stance, how can you expect other people to assess, understand and be
convinced by your position?
For example:
Should my father stop smoking?
Position: Yes
Ask yourself the following question:
Do I have enough evidence? (Is it sufficient?) Will my audience believe in me? (Is it trustworthy?) What are the assumptions built into my argument and are those assumptions fair? Does my conclusion follow logically from the claims I make?
(b) Appeal to Emotion
We can also appeal to emotion. This logical appeal is an extremely persuasive tool. However,
our human nature also lets us be influenced by our emotions. One way of evoking emotion in our
reader is to use vivid images.
For example: (appealing to my father who smokes).
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ACTIVITY
It is also good to know
the available characters
or personalities, or
temperaments, of
people to communicatepersuasively. Dr. Florence
Littauer suggests that
people can be
categorized as beingSanguines, Cholerics,
Melancholy and
Phlegmatic.
Use Google to research on
Littauers temperaments
(type Personality Plus) andsee into which temperamentyou fall into. For a start, you
can visithttp://lynn_meade.tripod.co
m/id139.htm
I remember when grandmother died of lung cancer. It
was the first time I had ever seen you cry, daddy. I
remember that you also made mummy a promise not to
start smoking again.
However, we must always be on the alert. We need to be careful
whenever we use emotional appeal with others, even our close
friends/relatives. We have to use it in a real sense, where it
happens and when it takes place. We should not use it as a
substitute for logical and/or ethical appeal. However, we should
never use emotional appeals to draw on stereotypes, manipulate
our emotional fears or to get an automatic reaction from
someone. We will upset or hurt our audience if we were to use
emotionally charged language or examples which have
tendencies to create ill- feeling or hatred in readers.
(c) Appeal to Good Personality/Character
The last example is appeal to our good personality. The appeal
to our good behaviour or our ethics can occur at one or more of
the following levels in any argument:
Are you a reasonable person? (Are you willing to listen,compromise and concede points?)
Can someone reason with you? (Are you ready to listen?) Are you authoritative? (Do you have the mandate or power to stand by your decisions?)
Are you an ethical/moral person? Are you concerned for the well-being of your audience? (Do you have them at heart?)
The moral/ethical appeal is based on the audiences perception of the speaker. Therefore, the audience
must trust the speaker in order to accept the argument. If we were to look at the three reasons, we are
tempted to say that the last one is the most appealing. Further elaboration and examples are provided
in 7.3: The Reasoning Process.
Remember that the purpose of persuasive writing is to assert an opinion which you are going to defend
and to offer supporting evidence (data) in order to convince the reader to agree with you. You must
ensure that your evidence is convincing. Convincing evidence will satisfy the following questions:
Do you have enough evidence to present your case? Is the evidence trustworthy? Does it come from reliable, informed, valid sources? Is the evidence verifiable? (Can you corroborate it through other sources than your own?
Source of Information, Relating to Arguments and7.1.3
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ACTIVITY7 . 2
Get students to
design a promotional
poster to be put up in
their school, invitingstudents to come out
and support a fund-
raising drive for one of
their favourite
charities. Before
constructing the
poster, students
should prepare an
outline which includes
their persuasiveobjectives, strategies,
pattern and voice. In
their outline, they
should also state how
they will attempt to
establish their
credibility.
ACTIVITY
What do you think are
persuasive strategies
which you can apply
in your writing?
Convincing evidence is the first element of a good argument. The
preceding statements pertaining to this show the necessity to have
evidence which is valid, reliable, sufficient, trustworthy and can be
verified.
The next element is appeal to authority. If we want to clear the air ofuneasiness that something is authoritative, we must consider the
following elements. They are:
Do people question your authority on a particular subject? Is your expert opinion current or up to date? Do your peers accept and respect your opinion? Is your expert advice free of bias?The last element is improper evaluation of statistics. You must
always remember that when you use facts, data and statistics of anysort, use them ethically and accurately. Try to be as objective as
possible. Have samples which are pool representative and unbiased.
Have statistics accurately tabulated and see that the statistics are not
taken out of context.
Remember that when quoting a source you must quote it in context,
never out of context, and never change the content to suit your taste.
Use you own judgement. It must always commensurate only to the
knowledge that you have at a given time. A celebrity endorsement of
a product is not quite the same as an expert opinion (unless that
celebrity really uses that product that he/she endorses).
Understanding persuasive strategies can help you in two very
important ways:
Knowing the strategies helps you analyse the strategies otherpeople are using to persuade you. This way, you can protect
yourself, for example, when unethical marketers are trying to takeadvantage of you.
Knowing the strategies helps you to choose which is the mosteffective way to persuade an audience.
PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES7.2
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Persuasive writers must plan the strategies they will use to gain reader support for the actions they
recommend and the positions they advocate. Possible persuasive strategies include:
emphasising readers benefits; addressing readers concerns; showing sound reasoning; and presenting reliable evidence.
The writer explains to readers how they will benefit from performing the action, taking the position or
purchasing the product recommended. If the targeted readers are members of an organisation, the
writer might stress organisational objectives and growth needs.
It is always a good strategy for persuasive writers to try to predict what the readers responses will be.
They should try to counteract any negative thoughts or arguments that may arise in their readers
minds.
Sound reasoning is the persuasive writer s best weapon. In many cases, it is not enough to merely
identify the benefits of taking a position or an action. The writer needs to persuade readers that the
decisions or actions recommended will actually bring about benefits and explain why (for example, the
new computer will reduce costs because ; the book modification recommended will boost sales
because)
Reliable evidence is the kind of evidence readers are willing to accept. This varies, depending on the
field. For example, in many business situations, personal observations and anecdotes by
knowledgeable individuals are accepted as reliable evidence. In scientific fields, however, certain
experimental procedures are accepted as reliable, whereas common wisdom and ordinary observations
are not. A writer needs to use common sense to determine what type of evidence is needed.
Planning Persuasive Strategies7.2.1
Emphasising Readers Benefits7.2.2
Addressing Readers Concerns7.2.3
Showing Sound Reasoning7.2.4
Presenting Reliable Evidence7.2.5
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ACTIVITY
Based on your
understanding, why is
it important to
address readers
concerns when it
comes to persuasive
writing?
In order to have confidence in the writer, readers must understand the:
(a) Writers Claim
The claim is the position the writer wants readers to accept.
(b) Evidence
The evidence consists of observations, facts and other information
provided in support of the claim.
(c) Line of Reasoning
The line of reasoning is the connecting link between the claim and
the evidence the reasons given for believing that the evidence
proves the claim.
There are two basic types or reasoning processes: deduction and induction.
For example:
All people who smoke endanger their health. (Major premise)
My father smokes. (Minor premise)
Therefore, my father is endangering his health. (Conclusion)
Is this a strong argument?
You need to offer evidence in support of your claims. It may be impossible to prove a cause-effect link between my father s smoking and his declining
health.
Other issues you may bring in to support your argument:
Secondhand smoke/impact on family and friends. The staggering number of people over 60 years old who die from lung cancer.
For example: If I were to argue that my father was endangering his health, I might cite specific
symptoms:
His teeth are yellowish and hes lost a considerable amount of weight. Hes no longer able to cycle 25km every morning. Whenever he exerts himself physically, he ends up coughing extremely hard. Other logical
appeals?
THE REASONING PROCESS 7.3
Deduction begins with a general principle or premise and draws a specific conclusion from it.
Induction supports a general conclusion by examining specific facts or cases.
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You could cite smoking/cancer statistics, authority in the form of the surgeons report, financial costs,
etc.
The following paragraphs will look at the direct and indirect patterns of organisation.
(a) Organising to Create a Positive Response
It is not only the variety and amount of information that is critical in a communication, but also
the way in which readers process that information. As a persuasive writer, you must carefully
choose the organisational pattern which best suits your purpose. You must also ensure that all the
parts of your persuasive piece fit together tightly.
(b) Direct Pattern Organisation
In a direct pattern of organisation, the writer s main point is stated first. Evidence and otherrelated information are given afterwards. For example, if a writer is recommending that a
company make a particular purchase, he or she would begin with the recommendation and
present the arguments in favour of the purchase.
The direct organisational pattern works well when the reader s initial response is all important
(for example, you have worked out a solution to a problem or you have good news). The direct
pattern also works well when you are recommending a course of action or presenting an analysis
which you expect your readers to view favourably.
(c) Indirect Pattern of Organisation
An indirect pattern of organisation postpones the bottom-line statement until all the evidence and
related information have been presented. You would first discuss the situation; then make your
recommendations after presenting your arguments. By using an indirect pattern, the writer can
prepare readers for the recommendations about to be made (for example, by discussing goals and
strategies beforehand). The indirect pattern is particularly useful when you are conveying
information which your readers might view as threatening. The indirect pattern avoids the risk of
inciting the reader s initial negative reactions. However, it can frustrate the reader who wants to
know the bottom line first.
Voice, in this context means, Who am I as a writer? Am I deputising someone else or do I assume
another role? In other words, be yourself when you write. By doing so, you release all the talents that
you have in trying to persuade others or to win others to your side. You have to know how good and
credible you are as a person. People will certainly accept you for being you because they know that
you are credible and can be trusted.
(a) Consider the Reasoning Process and Types of Reasoning
The writer needs to think and consider how he reasons out his writing. That is to say, he has to
think deeply on what, when and how to say things. In fact, to reason out is a process by itself.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT PATTERNS OF ORGANISATION7.4
VOICE AND CREDIBILITY7.5
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ACTIVITY
Why is establishing
credibility essential in
persuasive writing?
This takes time and perseverance. How do you argue or put forward your thoughts to the reader?
You can reason them out using the deduction or induction method (refer to 7.2)
(b) Choosing an Appropriate Voice
The voice you choose is an important element of your persuasive strategy; it represents both the
role you assign yourself and the role you assign your readers. For example, if you intend to writefor your peers, but you assume the voice of a superior authority, your readers may resent their
implied role as inferiors. If your audience responds to your voice in a negative way, they will not
receive your message openly.
(c) Establishing Credibility
Your credibility is the belief your readers have regarding
whether you are a good source of information and ideas.
When people believe you are credible, they are more likely
to accept the things you say. If people do not find you
credible, they may refuse to consider your ideas seriously, no
matter how soundly you present your case.
SUMMARY
This topic defines persuasive writing as compared with other forms of writing, presents the dos and
donts of persuasive writing and provides students with experience in clarifying a position, preparing
arguments and organising a persuasive written report or article. It gives opportunities for students to
present themselves and to respond to the persuasive writing of others and decide what makes an
effective piece of writing. Students will be asked to examine moral and ethical issues related topersuasive techniques.
G L O S S A R Y
Credibility If someone or something has credibility, people believe in them
and trust them.
Deduction Deduction is the process of teaching a conclusion that you have
reached about something because of other things that you know
to be true.
Induction Induction is a method of reasoning in which you use individual
ideas of facts to give you a general rule or conclusion.
Logic Logic is a method of reasoning that involves a series of
statements, each of which must be true if the statement before it is
true.
Persuasive Someone or something that is persuasive is likely to persuade a
person to believe or do a particular thing.
Reasoning Reasoning is a process by which you reach a conclusion after
thinking about all the facts.
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TEST 1
What is persuasive writing? What are the reasons for and purposes of persuasive writing?
TEST 2
State the different types of reasoning processes in persuasive writing. How do you establish credibility
in your writing? How and when do you choose an appropriate voice?
REFERENCES
Sebranek, P., Kember, D., & Meyer, V. (2001). Writers INC: A student handbook for writing and
learning. Wilmington: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Stoll, C. (1991). Write to the point and feel better about your writing. NY: Columbia University Press.