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The Cambridge Dictionary defines "to persuade" as, "to cause people to do or believe something, esp. by explaining why they should: ...."

In many senses all writing is persuasive, and when readers finish a piece, it proves the writing was, indeed, successfully persuasive, at least, in keeping the reader engaged. Most every decision we make, large or small, involves persuasive elements as we choose what to do. But maybe the most powerful and subtle persuasion that we contact everyday is advertising. In many varieties of print, on radio, TV, and more and more on websites, we are invited, kidded and intimidated into buying what the seller is selling. Advertising, whether we admire it or not, has much to teach us about what moves (persuades) us to act.

Even in ads or persuasive discussion the elements of a reasoned argument are present, clearly or implied: basically, statement>reason>evidence. Persuasion allows for more informal style, but those 3 basics are there.

LINKS:  Effective Persuasive Strategies,|  More Persuasive Techniques -Aristotle's Persuasive Appeals |-

ELEMENTS FOR PERSUASIVE WRITING

The Thesis Statement/Claim in this class:

• Must be a ONE SENTENCE declarative statement, NOT a question and without using "I" or pronouns for key ideas, just state, directly, the essential elements.

• Must contain the TOPIC, the writer's POSITION and for the persuasion essay, the primary REASON(s).

• Should appear UNDERLINED somewhere near the "start" of the essay, at end of paragraph 1 or 2, perhaps after introductory "story element" to show the situation. 

Op-Ed persuasive writing uses class thesis guidelines and the models in: | sample OpEd | Search return for CURRENT NYT OpEds  | OpEd how-to | another OpEd how-to.

              

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS ESSAY: STEP 1. CHOOSE A CURRENT, CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC: STEP 2. DO A TOPIC EXPLORATION EX. TO:                     ~ IDENTIFY WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW AND                                   ~ IDENTIFY WHY THE TOPIC IS IMPORTANT TO YOU.                    ~ AND FIND THESIS FROM PART 6 [ ONE SENTENCE... ] STEP 3. RESEARCH TO FIND SOURCES & MAKE A LIST OF ANY                THAT ARE POSSIBILE--ANNOTATE KEY ELEMENTS AS                NEEDED. STEP 4. COMPLETE a Planning the Paper Ex. TO BEGIN MAKING                PARAGRAPHS STEP 5. IDENTIFY WHERE SOURCE INFORMATION WILL BE PLACED IN THE               ESSAY TO BACKUP ANY FACTS OR BORROWED INFORMATION.               CITES MUST MATCH THE FIRST WORD IN THE WORKS CITED               LISTING. [FYI: Video documentaries can show many of the elements we                 use in documented writing. In both, the narrator/writer introduces main                 idea(s), explains, introduces/credits experts/evidence, ties all the ideas                 together. Video documentary sites may also include written transcripts.]

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1. Persuasive/OpEdwriting is 800-900 wds and for this assignment does include 3-5 sources of factual, verifiable data. Signal phrases are crucial for crediting sources and should include as part of a sentence: 1) the author and 2) where the source can be found, [e.g. Dr. Brown on Medics.com writes...] . Use parenthetical credits as usual, for quotes and at the end of material from a specific source. 

2. Using an analogy, situation or an example to convey what you're trying communicate can be powerful.

3. Writing should be informal--semi-formal, in style and diction, reflect the energy the writer has for the topic.

4. The assumed reader would be someone with only general knowledge of the topic, and any "special" words or terms should by briefly explained or defined.

5. The title can be creative and should reflect the point directly or ironically.