Critical Elements of Persuasive Writing
The four elements to consider when writing persuasively are:
- Stance: You must take a strong stance and never waver from it. 2. Audience: You must know the audience you are writing for in order to be effective in your persuasion. 3. Benefit: How will your audience benefit from what you are telling them? 4. Action: How will your audience put your plan into action in order to benefit them?
Tools of Persuasion
Utilize these three tools in your persuasive writing to ensure your audience is swayed by your words:
- Ethos, or Authoritative Appeal: Back up what you say with facts from credible sources, so your audience can believe everything you tell them. 2. Pathos, or Emotional Appeal: Speak to the audience as human beings, allowing them to view an issue from a variety of perspectives. 3. Logos, or Logical Appeal: Prove that your argument is true and makes sense to the audience.
Persuasive Language
Maximize your persuasiveness by using specific language when referring to ideas within your writing. – Refer to the benefits of your actionable suggestion, so readers can not only see what to do, but also why they should do it. – Discuss the credibility of your sources, such as the facts you have gathered from reliable documentation (not Wikipedia). – Explain the potential outcomes of action or inaction. – Relay the necessity of certain action, explaining that failure to act will cause negative effects in the future.
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