by iakul

Created on: August 28, 2009

Writing something that attempts to persuade people to your cause is a different thing from trying to convince them face-to-face. You do not have the benefit of using body language or relying on your force of personality. Nor do you have the benefit have tailoring your argument based on how a person responds. There are however, a number of elements that you can pay attention to when you attempt to write a persuasive article.

One, identify and address possible objections to your argument. Writing, as I have already mentioned, is different from convincing people face-to-face. It is unlikely that you will be there physically to answer an objection when someone reads it. And there certainly will be objections. After all, if it were obvious to everyone that what you are advocating in your writing is better, there would have been no need to write a persuasive article on that topic.

It is possible that you may not be able to come up with a solid counter-argument against an objection. It is still a good idea to include it in your article. Acknowledge it, and concede that you are unable to refute it totally. One should still be able to present a compelling case for your cause, and acknowledging it establishes your credibility as someone who has made an attempt to understand both sides of an argument and are not just someone who is supporting the view espoused in your article based on emotions alone.

Which brings me to my next point, credibility. Assuming that you are a relative unknown whose readers have likely never heard about him or her, their opinion about you will come from your article. Show your credibility by forming arguments anchored in logic. Establish yourself as a person with good judgement, who will listen to both sides of an argument before forming an opinion.

And lastly, understand that while people use logic to justify their decisions, their basis for making those decisions usually stems from their emotions. For example, people who buy branded Rolex watches will justify their buying decision with logic, saying that wearing the watch makes a good impression when they have to meet up with business contacts and is actually an investment. Their reasons for buying the watch though, stems from emotions, usually a desire to acquire a status symbol and to pamper themselves. Arguing that it's better buying a cheap imitation watch that looks exactly like the real thing will likely meet with strong objections from them, even though it's a logically sound argument. One also has to appeal to their emotions, and highlight that the money saved could be used to pamper themselves, and then use logic to support the statement.

Learn more about this author, iakul.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.