The Art of Persuasion
We all have an opinion about something. Often times when engaging with others who have different opinions to ours, we try to get them to see our point of view or even change their opinion if possible, don't we? This is called persuasion. In writing, it is no different. Persuasive writing is where the author uses words to try to convince others that their opinion is correct or as the illustrations show, get them on his/her side.
In this Lit 102 course we discussed some of the techniques that authors use to do just that. I have never had the pleasure of writing many persuasive pieces, but after learning about these, I can not wait to try them out in my writing. Apart from the well known evidence, emotional and logical appeals, I learned that I can also use alliterations, exaggeration and anecdotes to further persuade readers to my stance when writing. What this essentially does is add some flair to my writing, and makes my argument more believable.
What other techniques have you found useful in writing, when trying to persuade your audience?
Below is a reminder of some of the techniques that can be used in your persuasive writing essays.
Hey Shevon, similarly to you I have not written many persuasive pieces which is why learning about the techniques you mentioned was both informative and exciting. I now possess a repertoire of techniques that can help me to strengthen my arguments as I write persuasive pieces.
ReplyDeleteApart from what we learned through direct instruction, what stands out to me is how role plays were used to display our use of the strategies. Hearing the arguments come to life through creative and thoughtful use of the strategies, seeing the expressions on the faces of the presenters and hearing their intonation as they brought forward their arguments are experiences I would never forget because we were actively involved in the process. I look forward to engaging my students in experiences like those to help make their learning fun but meaningful.