This document discusses how to use the "so-what" factor when arguing, persuading, or informing others. It explains that the so-what factor tells readers why something is important by answering questions like "Why is this important?" and "Why should I care?". The document provides an example of using the SEE (State, Evidence, Elaborate) method followed by explaining the So-What to fully support a claim. It emphasizes that the So-What step is crucial for any explanation or analysis by communicating the significance and relevance of the information to the reader.

1. How to argue, persuade, or inform
using the “so-what” factor
Lacey Galbraith

2. Your mother says…“It is important to take
the dog outside 3 times a day.”
You ask, “Why?”
Explanation #1… “Because I said so.”
Explanation #2… “Because the dog has been inside all day.”
Explanation #3... “Because the dog has been inside all day, and
this means he might
go to the bathroom in your closet.”
the So-What factor

3. What is the “So-What” factor?
Did you know
reading to kids is
important?
I used to read
to my little
brother.
So
what.
I used to read to
my little brother,
and yesterday he
won his school’s
spelling bee.
So
what.
Wow!

4. When you write, the so-what factor
tells your reader WHY.
 Why is this important?
 Why does it matter?
 Why should I care?
*Note: Be careful voicing this last point aloud.
 The so-what factor is the final step in any
explanation or analysis.

5. S.E.E. So-What?
1. STATE your claim or opinion.
2. EVIDENCE: Give example(s) to support your claim.
3. ELABORATE and EXPLAIN the examples.
4. SO-WHAT = ARGUE how the evidence supports
your claim. Explain why the reader should listen.

6. EXAMPLE
What does the
text SAY?
Copy the quotation
including the page #.
ELABORATION
What does it
MEAN?
Explain the quotation
in the context of the
text. Use your own
words to show you
understand.
SO-WHAT
Why does it
MATTER?
Comment on the effect
the quotation has on
the reader’s
understanding. Explain
its significance; tell
why and how the
author uses it.

7. EXAMPLE
What does the
text SAY?
ELABORATION
What does it
Mean?
SO-WHAT
Why does it Matter?
“What’s in a
name? That which
we call a rose/By
any other name
would smell as
sweet” (78).
Juliet is thinking about
why she can’t be with
Romeo and believes
that what something
is called is less
important that what
something actually is.
Society judges people and
things based on surface
characteristics such as what
they look like or are called.
Because Romeo’s last name is
Montague, Juliet’s family
considers him to be an unfit
match romantically.
Shakespeare uses a simile to
show how false this thinking
is, for to Juliet, Romeo’s
personal attributes are more
important than his last name.
Notice that this
column is the longest
out of the three.