Tips on Being Persuasive by Justin Jelley

Tips on Being Persuasive in Writing

I'm sure that, being college students, at some point or another you have had to write a persuasive essay or paper, or simply a persuasive e-mail asking for grade forgiveness for the class you just didn't do all that great in because of all your other important commitments e.g. $4 pitchers at Fire Pit. All joking aside, being able to write persuasively is a great tool anyone should have in their writing arsenal, especially if you are getting into the professional world of business. Persuasive writing is a great way to get your point across when you feel very passionately about something and are willing to express how you feel. Here are some excellent tips on improving your persuasive writing skills.

1. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH

• Find out the needs, wants and desires of the reader and focus on them
• Having a passionate opinion about a topic is a keystone to persuasion.
• Tell readers exactly what they need to know. No fluff here people!!!
• Put together your position.

o State your position.
o List reasons to doubt and support this position.
o Create an evidence chart.

 Research all positions on the issue.
 Write a brief summary on each position.
 List reasons for supporting your position including strengths and weaknesses.
 List counter arguments that will provide protection against an opposing position.

2. GRAB THE READER’S ATTENTION

• Draw the reader in with an example of your argument.
• Be concrete on the benefits of your solution (not the features).
• Use active verbs and a conversational tone.

3. FORMAT AND STRUCTURE

• A simple format to follow is problems, causes, and solutions.
• The reader should be able to clearly see your position from the structure.
• Do not turn your persuasive piece into an editorial!!!

o Passion is great for persuasion; just avoid only writing your opinion.
o Your voice and opinion should be clear, but not overwhelming.

Being able to correctly write persuasively is a tough task to accomplish, but if you focus on the tips I have provided, your persuasive writing is surely going to improve. And now that you have read my blog on being persuasive, I hope I have persuaded you to go out and practice this new skill to utilize in your professional future.

Works Cited

"Tips for Effective Persuasive Writing - Associated Content." Associated Content - associatedcontent.com. 05 Apr. 2009 http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/403613/tips_for_effective_persuasive_writing_pg2.html?cat=24.

"Tips for persuasive writing." Quality Web Content - free web writing guide for web portal content writers and web content providers. 05 Apr. 2009 http://www.webpagecontent.com/arc_archive/42/5/.

"Writing Persuasion." Montanalife.com. 05 Apr. 2009 .