CHAPTER 19 – PERSUADING READERS to ACT

Persuading others is a difficult task. No one is expected to persuade every reader or audience member, but we can get all of the readers or audience to think critical about our view. Persuasive writing attempts to convince the reader that the point of view or course of action recommended by the writer is valid. To accomplish this, the writer must develop a limited topic which is well defined and debatable, that is has more than one side. It is important that the author understand other sides of the position so that the strongest information to counter the others can be presented. In the essay, only one side of the issue is presented. The topic should be a statement of position. That position must be clear and direct. This statement directs the readers to follow along with our logic towards the specific stated conclusion that we want them to support. We should not make it personal so we should not use personal pronouns. We should make it definitive. Then we can state the best reasons that we have to support our position as the remainder of the opening paragraph. These reasons become the topics of each of the supporting paragraphs. In the body of the essay, we should use specific evidence, examples, and statistics and not broad generalizations or personal opinions to persuade the reader that the stated position is a valid one. Each additional sentence must closely relate to the topic and the sentence that came before it. This way, the logic of the argument and transition between paragraphs are easy to follow. As one closes the essay, it is most important to clearly redefine the topic and restate the most compelling evidence cited in original form because this is the last chance to remind the reader and convince him/her to accept the writer's position. So we should not introduce new material in the conclusion.