21 Mar Writing to Persuade – 4 Tricks from the Writer’s Toolbox

How to Land Your Message or Appeal Successfully

Written by Jessica Stewart and Daniela Cavalletti

Writing to persuade is more of a science than an art. While a beautiful piece of prose has a certain magic, there are elements that any writer can employ, in any situation. Whether you are writing an article, letter, or submission – and want to persuade a single reader or a broad cohort – keep the following points in mind.

#1. Facts – The Bottom Line

While Donald Trump may live in a world of alternative facts, the rest of us rely on the original kind. To persuade, you have to be credible. Today, with information a few clicks away, you cannot afford to jeopardise your position by getting facts wrong. It will diminish your stature immediately and perhaps irreparably. If you are not sure, do your research—using reputable sources.

And remember that you are not writing an encyclopaedia entry. Too much clutter can smother an argument. Keep facts that are the most cogent and interesting and use them to support your argument. They are not your argument.

#2. Understanding – Building Trust

A persuasive argument hinges on building trust; your reader needs to sense that you understand the topic. There are two ways you can show your knowledge and build a trusting connection and they are equally significant.

First, you need to show confidence. If you are unclear about something, your reader will be too. Apply a common sense test. Ask an expert or get a second opinion. This is not fact-checking. It is corroborating something in the argument that does not quite gel, a logical flaw, or perhaps something technically complex that needs more unpacking.

If you know it well, this is easy. However, you may be too close to the topic to see ambiguities or complexities. It’s a good idea to enlist somebody not familiar with the subject matter to read it through.

And secondly, emotional understanding gives your reader a sense of who you are as a real person. Demonstrate your understanding with a story, an illustrative segue. What would you be feeling in their situation? Another way to do this is to think about their fears. If you can pinpoint what makes them wary, you are a step closer to managing any reluctance they might hold onto, and drawing them towards your position.

#3. Know Your Why

Putting yourself in your reader’s shoes is asking why? Why would they? There are a few things to think about here.

Especially for tenders, submissions, applications and other business writing, pick your battles. Think about how much armoury you want to wield in any situation, or whether you want to go onto the field at all.

If there is a power imbalance, gentle persuasion will get them on board willingly, rather than resentfully. Use overt power sparingly. You might want to keep your powder dry for those arguments that you need, rather than want, to win.

Find out who the stakeholders are in any situation and think about their interests. Show your readers why the outcome that you want will benefit them. Highlight any alternative scenarios that might disadvantage them. As the former Premier of NSW Jack Lang said: “In the race of life, always back self-interest. At least you know it’s trying.”

If key stakeholders are not united, what does each want? Do you know their weak spots, can you play them against each other? If you don’t know, there is usually something admiring you can find to say. Flattery often helps!

Finally, think about what happens next. Plan for possible outcomes or reactions. Stay ahead of your reader.

#4. Build Your Argument

Now you’re ready to put your written piece together, pay attention to how you put your argument together:

1. Start with a strong opening line. If your reader is a time-poor executive, think about your window of opportunity. Do you have 30 seconds? Whatever opening you choose, it must register.
2. If you want to engineer an outcome, you need to be understood. Neither the breadth of your vocabulary nor elaborate sentence constructions will win you points here. Keep your language simple, especially if your topic is difficult. It does not diminish your expertise nor talk down to your audience. And avoid jargon.
3. Plan your writing, allocating a paragraph of 2 to 4 sentences to each of your points. Link sentences together to help your reader move towards your conclusion. Let them absorb detail without being overwhelmed,
4. Finally, grammatical mistakes look careless. Read your work three times and then once more. When proofreading, read for errors, not meaning, one word at a time, line by line. On-screen, I use a highlighter. On paper, I use a ruler.

You’re ready to launch your argument into the world now.

Good luck!