1. Persuasive Writing
General Info

2. What is persuasive writing?
Writing which seeks to sway readers to a certain opinion or point of view.

3. Is persuasive writing or speaking always an essay?
Persuasive writing can be an essay!
However, persuasive writing can also take the form of:
Advertisements
Editorials
Advice Columns
Reviews
Speeches (campaign speeches, public-service announcements, inspirational speeches)
Blog Entries
Multimedia Presentations

4. What is a persuasive speech?
A persuasive speech is a spoken statement that presents a position and tries to convince an audience to accept that position or to take action. An effective persuasive speech:
Addresses an issue of concern or importance to the speaker
Clearly states the speaker’s position & goal
Supports the position with clearly organized facts, examples, and statistics
Addresses the knowledge level, experiences, needs, and concerns of the intended audience
Uses rhetorical devices (speaking devices) to grab and hold the audience’s attention

5. Structure of a Persuasive Essay
Intro paragraph
Hook/AG, background statement
Effective thesis statement
Specific, clear, and concise
Has an opinion
Does not use harsh language

6. Structure of a Persuasive Essay
Body Paragraphs
Present strong reasons for your thesis statement
Present evidence that supports each reason
Types of evidence: facts, examples, statistics, opinions or quotations from experts, anecdotes (brief stories), analogies (extended comparisons)
Rhetorical techniques (different from rhetorical devices we discussed earlier): repetition, parallel structure, analogy
Consider and introduce counterarguments in your essay. Then respond to them to show that your argument is stronger.

7. Structure of a Persuasive Essay
Conclusion
Must sum up your reasons and make a call to action or a call to agreement.
Call to action: statement that tells your readers what you want them to do.
Call to agreement: statement that tells your readers what you want them to believe.

8. An excellent persuasive essay…
Presents a clear and concise thesis statement in the introduction
Includes strong, well-organized evidence
Describes counterarguments and responds to them effectively
Uses rhetorical techniques, such as parallelism and repetition
Addresses the audience respectfully
Ends with a call to action or a call to agreement