by Robert Levine

Created on: August 02, 2009   Last Updated: August 04, 2009

More rides on persuasive writing than on any other kind of writing in business. Persuasive writing influences organizations to make important decisions and undertake major initiatives; a poor argument for a good idea could lead a company to make the worst mistake of its existence. In the boardroom as in the courtroom, convincing your audience depends as much on how you present your case as it does on the facts and circumstances that indicate its rightness. You have to show the audience why those facts and circumstances make your case right.

This article will focus on the proposal, the form of persuasive writing most common in professional settings. It will give you the essentials of organization, argument, and style for the most crucial type of writing you may ever need to practice at the office.

CATEGORICAL PROPOSITION

The first part of the proposal is called the categorical proposition, a term from logic that means you demonstrate that the situation your proposal seeks to remedy exists. If you are proposing a new product for your company, your categorical proposition would prove the need for this product and that a market exists that your company has left untapped.

In my Advanced Composition class in college I proposed increasing Metrobus (the D.C. area's public bus system) service through the University of Maryland campus. I first established the limited extent of public transportation to and from campus: only one Metrobus route ran through campus, which didn't go to Prince George's Plaza, the closest major shopping mall and a favorite student destination; and the university's shuttle bus service ended shortly after 7:00 p.m. and did not run on weekends.

Arthur H. Bell explains in NTC's Business Writer's Handbook, Any document or oral presentation claiming to analyze or make recommendations regarding a problem must first state the problem clearly and concisely. This statement should answer the following questions:

What is the problem?

Where is it occurring?

When is it occurring?

How is it occurring?

To whom is it occurring?

Why is it occurring?

(This last question, because of its breadth, may be reserved for later portions of the analysis.)

The problem statement appears early in a document or oral presentation to orient the audience to the topic under discussion.

Don't inject your opinion about the situation into the categorical proposition; keep its content factual. Proving the situation exists will rely on citing authoritative sources

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