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with your point of view to take action? Who are some specific members of your audience whose writing or ideas you might be familiar with? Are they informed about the issue, or do they need more background? What types of evidence or argument will persuade this audience? What style of writing is this audience expecting to read?

In a persuasive essay it is particularly important to consider who it is you want to persuade and how best they will be persuaded. Which leads to step three, identifying and organizing the claims that support your argument.

3.) Considering your audience, identify the strongest supporting claims for your argument. Consider how to organize your argument persuasively in a way that this audience will be able to follow your ideas. What evidence supports your claims?

Organize your arguments, usually from the strongest to the weakest. This allows you to convince readers early, so that when you come to weaker arguments, they are more likely to let them slide. If you begin with the weaker arguments, the reader sees the faults and becomes less convinced with later arguments, even if they are stronger arguments. In other words, fire the big guns first.

4.) Identify the most significant opposing view. Explaining and then refuting the opposing view strengthens the credibility and scope of your essay.

After you have considered your argument, the audience you wish to persuade, and the evidence and support for your argument, it is time to begin the essay.

Structure and organization helps readers to:

A.) Follow your arguments,

B.) See how your evidence supports your claims, and

C.) Accept your "authority" to make the argument through perceiving you as an organized thinker.

How to organize your persuasive essay:

Introduction

Your introduction should hook your reader's attention and provide background information on your topic or controversy.

The paragraph should end with a clear statement of your main idea or point of view.

Simply enough, the introductory paragraph introduces the argument of your paper. A well-constructed introductory paragraph immediately captures the interest of your reader and gives appropriate background information about the paper's topic. Such a paragraph might include a brief summary of the ideas to be discussed in your paper's body as well as other information relevant to your paper's argument, such as background or importance. The most important function of your paper's introductory paragraph, however, is to get readers to continue reading

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