THE PERSUASIVE WRITING

In this age of digitalization, writers are gradually stepping into another dimension in prominence. Due to an over-reliance on machines, written communication has come to replace its oral form in core areas of human social interaction: from digital marketing to random social media updates, and all other aspects where messages must be sent, writing has proven to be an indispensable tool. Now, more than ever before, humans are becoming more aware of the importance of arming themselves with the influencing power of beautiful writings.

At the core of these writings, is the persuasive writing. The persuasive writing is intentional in its goal of bringing about a voluntary change in judgment in the hearts of the readers. Through logical reasons, the persuasive writing seeks to influence and reorient the mind by changing the perspective of the targeted audience or readers.

Writings such as criticisms, editorials, blog posts, reviews, random social media updates and lots more, only come to light when persuasive techniques are incorporated within them. In our present world, the art of being pleasantly persuasive is fast becoming an important life skill.

 

Some Necessary Processes to Building Up a Solid Persuasive Writing

Since majority of our nonfictional writings are dead on arrival without good persuasion, let’s check out some necessary processes to building up a solid persuasion.

1. Present your Proposal

Making use of clear and succinct expressions, make your stand known and invite your reader to the further clarification of your preferred stand. In clarifying or building up credibility for your stand, you must be very familiar with your subject, your opposition and your audience.

2. Be Familiar with your Subject

Winning the battle of persuasion involves the ability of passing off yourself as very knowledgeable. And you can’t be perceived as knowledgeable when you are not accurately informed about your subject.

Instruments of research at your disposal would open you up to so many relatable materials and statistical evidences necessary for buttressing your stand. When your stand is backed up by verifiable evidences like statements of expert authorities and research findings, the authenticity and credibility of your work is established.

Under exam conditions, generating ideas that are verifiable and considered authentic could prove a tad difficult. In such situations, take a deep breath and use some few minutes of your time to do a brainstorm – think about trendy news on social media platforms, newspapers, and your personal experiences which resonate with your subject. On a rough sheet, write down these relatable ideas and using the technique of emotive arguments, weave beautiful sentences round these ideas.

3. Be Familiar with your Opposition

Before embarking on persuasive writings, you must understand that there are always opposing points of view. You can’t write a good persuasive essay if you are not familiar with your opposition.

To advance your points, project an understanding of the cogency surrounding the opposing view and politely dispose them one by one. In disposing them, you have to project the biases that are associated with these cogent points, while carefully projecting your view as the very best.

4. Be Familiar with your Audience

Communication can only be effective if it is adapted to members of your community. You should be able to see things from the perspective of your audience by analyzing and anticipating their reaction to the message you intend passing across.

Tailor your writing to empathize with them. In making your writing resonate with their core experiences, skillfully persuade them into accepting your opinion by projecting all relatable advantages.

When the above are followed strictly to the letter, you should ensure that your writing possesses the following qualities.

 

Qualities of a Good Persuasive Writing

1. Simplicity

Make use of simple and correct English. People would prefer a work with simple flawless grammar, to one decorated with verbose and ambiguous expressions. Since your intention is to express rather than impress, simply go straight to the point. Do away with unnecessary words and expressions and focus on keeping it simple.

2. Be Properly Organised

Your writings must be organized and getting a well structured writing or essay involves making good use of the paragraphing system.

Each paragraph should project an idea and this idea is conveyed using the Topic Sentence. The Topic Sentence is that sentence in a paragraph, which conveys the central or controlling idea of each paragraph. It is the foundational sentence in a paragraph because ideally, every sentence in that paragraph relates to it.

Your work must be well structured into an introduction, a body, which contains ordered ideas according to importance, in paragraphs. And your conclusion which draws your logical curtain to a close, must reinforce a commitment to your stand.

3. Persuasive Techniques

Your writings must employ techniques of persuasion. You could either employ the emotive argument, where you appeal to emotion, or you could appeal to credibility (ethos) or reasoning (logos).

A good persuasive writing should be able to combine all three techniques of persuasion into producing an irrefutable text.

In maximizing these techniques, you must clarify through repetition by using each of these persuasive techniques, in strategic points.

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