Persuasive Strategies Copyright 2006 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved. ReadWriteThink.org materials may be reproduced for educational purposes. Images ©2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Why Persuasive Writing? Persuasive writing is the type of writing that you will be asked to use most commonly in high school and college. The following are strategies that a writer would use to support his/her argument or main idea.

Claim (Position) State your argument. Example: I am going to try to convince you that chocolate is a healthy snack.

Big Names (Factual Support) Important people or experts can make your argument seem more convincing. Example: Former U.S. president Bill Clinton thinks that junk food should be taken out of vending machines.

Logos (Factual Support) Facts, numbers, and information can be very convincing. Example: A Snickers bar has 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar. That’s not very healthy.

Pathos (Attention to Audience) Getting people to feel happy, sad, or angry can help your argument. Example: Your donation might just get this puppy off the street and into a good home.

Dr. King’s Word Choice “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. August 28, 1963 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Ethos (Attention to Audience) If people believe and trust in you, you’re more likely to persuade them. Example: Believe me! I’ve been there before. I’m just like you.

Kairos (Effective Word Choice) Try to convince your audience that this issue is so important they must act now. Example: This is a one-time offer. You can’t get this price after today.

Research (Factual Support) Using reliable research can help your argument seem convincing. Example: A recent study found that students who watch TV during the week don’t do as well in school.