PI&SV wk5

1. Effective Persuasion:
Developing Persuasive Documents
Psych Issues and Social Values
Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab

2. Outline
This presentation will cover:
 The persuasive context.
 The role of the audience.
 What to research and cite.
 How to establish your
credibility.

3. Persuasive writing seeks to convince its readers to
embrace the point-of-view presented by appealing
to the audience’s reason and understanding through
argument and/or entreaty.
• Investing a topic
• Collecting & evaluating evidence
• Building an argument toward a particular position
• DO NOT WRITE, “In my opinion…”
or, “I think…”
What is Persuasive Writing?

4. You encounter persuasion
every day:
 TV Commercials
 Letters to the Editor
 Junk mail
 Magazine ads
 College brochures
Can you think of other
persuasive contexts?
Persuasive Genres

5.  Understand your audience.
 Support your opinion.
 Know the various sides of your issue.
 Respectfully address other points of view.
 Find common ground with your audience.
 Establish your credibility.
Steps for Effective Persuasion

6. 1. Your organization needs funding for a
project.
2. Your boss wants you to make
recommendations for a course of action.
3. You need to shift someone’s current point of
view to build common ground so action can
be taken.
When to Persuade
an Audience

7. Understanding Your Audience
Who is your audience?
• What beliefs do they hold about the topic?
• What disagreements might arise between
you and your audience?
• How can you refute counterarguments
with respect?

8. Understanding Your Audience
What concerns does your audience face?
For example:
Do they have limited funds to distribute?
Do they feel the topic directly affects
them?
How much time do they have
to consider your document?

9. Understanding Your Audience
Help your audience relate to your topic.
• Appeal to their hearts as well as their minds.
• Use anecdotes when appropriate
• Paint your topic in with plenty of detail
• Involve the reader’s senses in these sections

10. Researching an Issue
Become familiar with
all sides of an issue.
You can try to:
 Find common ground.
 Understand the history of the topic.
 Predict counterarguments your audience might
make.
 Find strong support for your own perspective.

11. Researching an Issue
Find common ground with
your audience.
For example:
– Point of Opposition: You might support a
war, whereas your audience might not.
– Common ground: Both sides want to see
their troops come home.

12. Researching an Issue
Predict counterarguments.
For example:
– Your Argument: Organic produce from local
Farmers’ Markets is better than store-bought
produce.
– The Opposition: Organic produce is too
expensive.

13. Appeal to the audience’s reason:
Use statistics and reputable studies.
Cite experts on the topic:
Do they back up what you say?
Do they refute the other side?
Support Your Perspective

14. Which source would a reader find more
credible?
 The New York Times
 http://www.myopinion.com
Which person would a reader be more
likely to believe?
 Joe Smith from Fort Wayne, IN.
 Dr. Susan Worth, Prof. of Criminology at Purdue Univ.
Cite Credible Sources

15. • Cite credible sources
• Cite sources correctly and thoroughly.
• Use professional language (and design).
• Edit out all errors.
Establish Your Credibility

16. Don’t misrepresent a fact or leave out important
information.
Misquote: “Crime rates were down by 2002,” according
to Smith (2006, p. 42).
Actual quote: “Crime rates were down by 2002, but
steadily began climbing again a year later,” said Smith
(2006, p. 42).
Paraphrase: According to Smith (2006), by 2002
criminal activity decreased, only to rebound the
following year.
Cite sources ethically
Note: You are not permitted to use direct quotes in your papers for this class!

17.  Don’t lecture or talk down to
your audience.
 Don’t make threats or “bully”
your reader.
 Don’t employ guilt trips.
 Be careful if using the second
person, “you.”
Tactics to Avoid

18. Formatting your essay
Argumentative Essay Structure:
• Introduction
(incl. Thesis statement)
• Body paragraphs
• Conclusion

19. Introduction
FOUR PARTS:
• Hook (Introduces the topic)
• Why is this topic important?
• Why should the audience care?
• Thesis statement
– 1-2 sentences at the end of the introduction
– States the main point of the essay and…
– Makes a clear, arguable assertion
• Transition

20. Body Paragraphs
Purpose: To expand on & explain the
points made in your thesis, with evidence.
• Format of body paragraphs
– Topic Sentence
– Description of your point
– Support
– Transition

21. Conclusion
Purpose: Reiterate, “So what!?!”
• Connect the ideas developed in your
paper, but also…
• Add something new
• Restate why the topic is important
• Review the main points
• Review the thesis

22. Polish & Proofread
• You will need more than one draft
• Check for spelling and grammar
– Tip: read backward
• Make sure you have included all required
parts
• Check for repetition and delete irrelevant
information
• Consider your audience

23. Example
Having a no exception, no absence rule is a very bad idea
because students’ grades will drop, their work will be of a
lesser quality, and school will not feel as welcoming.
Acceptable: Studies show that 70% of students who receive
a zero for a missed class or assignment have an overall
negative view of school (citation).
Not acceptable (anecdote): J.C. states, “During my Bat
Mitzvah, one of my teachers would not give me a pass on
missing school and reduced my participation grade. My
grade dropped from an A to a B.”
Considering opposition: Although some say that accepting
absences will lead to chronic poor attendance, teachers
could allow students 1-2 passes per semester.

24. Format
Summary

25. APA Formatting for Body of Paper
• No title page or abstract needed
• Times New Roman, 12-pt font; 1” margins
• In-text citations, usually a parenthetical
reference just before the period or at start of
statement.
– Example: xxxxx (Anderson, 1996).
– Example: Anderson (1996) claimed xxxxxx.
– Do not use first names or state, “in a study by…”
• No direct quotes – you must paraphrase

26. APA Formatting of References
• Begins on a new page with the word
“References” centered, no punctuation at the top
of the page.
• Alphabetical by first author’s last name, double
spaced, with first line flush left and subsequent
lines indented ½” from the left margin (hanging
indent).
• Double-check your rules of order for
information with the current edition of the APA
style manual.