Persuasive Techniques

1. Persuasive Techniques Of Awesomeness!

2. FIRM POSITION 1.Choose one side and stick with it 2.Take a very clear position in your thesis statement 3.Take the words straight from the prompt • Prompt Example: • It has been said that television has little real educational value. What is your opinion on this issue? Write an essay stating your opinion and supporting it with convincing reasons. Be sure to explain your reasons in detail. • Firm Position Example: Discovery Channel programs like Human Planet and Life, PBS’s Masterpiece Theater, and even Fox’s The Simpsons offer exceptional educational value.

3. Persuasive word choices- 1.Convincing words – use specific words- choose just the right word to make your point. 2. Strong words and phrases - “absolutely” , “huge distraction”, “enormous problem” , “excellent option” • Example: • My husband claims he learned everything he knows from The Simpsons. I thought that simply could not be the case; however, I was wrong. Bart and Homer have been excellenteducators for my husband simplifying difficult classic literature such as Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”, and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Complex historical and cultural issues like theSalem Witch Trials and Class Warfareare discussed in such a way that makes it easy enough for a child to understand. …

4. Appeals to the audience – 1. First, figure out who your audience is. Then decide what main points or assertions would convince them to agree with you. • Example: (Audience: principal/teachers) • I hear so often from my teachers that a picture is worth a thousand words. Consider for a moment, how difficult it is for you science teachers to give a clear picture of how a stalk-eyed fly gains its eyes. Stalk-eyed flies aren't born with their high-rise eyes. It's only after the animal emerges from its pupal case, or protective covering, that the transformation begins. This is how it works: Before its skin hardens, a fly swallows air and then pumps it into a small cavity behind the eye. As pressure builds up, the cavity expands and unrolls to form the long stalks characteristic of the adult. When the fly's skin hardens, the eye stalks become fixed in place, like rigid sticks. Both males and females have eye stalks, but they are much longer in males. Now consider how much more clear this picture would be if a science teacher would be able to show this transformation via a television show. It would be faster and easier for you, the teacher, and also easier and clearer for us students.

5. Concession and rebuttal- 1. Explain the opposing sides best opinion starting with the phrase “Some people could argue that….” 2. Then prove that argument wrong starting with the words “the weakness to that argument is…” • Example: • Some will argue thatThe Simpsons is simply a stupid television program that depicts a stupid man and his family. The weakness to that argument is that it is actually comparable to Jonathan’s Swift’s classic satire Gulliver’s Travel. Both Swift and Groening , in an ingenious way, poke fun of the social norms of their day. Using a protagonist, both discuss political figures, ethics, and…

6. nd…Rhetorical questions- 1.A question you ask, not expecting or waiting for an answer, usually because you already know the answer. 2. Example – “Do parents really want their children hanging out after dark?” • Example: • Do teachers really want their students to pay attention to the information and skills they are passing on? Presenting students with required information in an interesting way can do nothing but ensure they will be waiting with baited breath for the next morsel of delightful trivia you can pass on to them.

7. Citing writer / other people as experts- 1.Use yourself as experienced / as an expert. 2. Example – “I’ve been outside after dark, playing tag and “kick the can” with friends, and we’ve never gotten into trouble before.” • Example: • Groucho Marx, a comedian from mid 1900s once stated, “I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on, I go into another room and read a good book.” But, let’s be honest. Groucho grew up during a time period when books were better than the television opportunities we have now. Nowadays, on television we get to watch the great literature pieces from Shakespeare come alive; we can bear witness to a giraffe being born; or see how viruses weave their way through the body.

8. Causal chain – 1. One thing happens, which causes another thing to happen. 2. Example “if children are allowed to run around at night, they will have a greater chance of getting into trouble, and if they get into trouble, they will have a harder time being successful in school.” If…then… • Example: • If students are forced to read everything through a textbook, then they will think learning is boring, and if they think learning is boring than they are more likely to drop out of school at a younger age.

9. Statistics as support 1.Use numbers, percentages, or fractions to prove your point. 2. Example “90% of neighborhood crimes are committed by kids older than 15 years of age.” • Example: •  If you consider that the average American youth spends 900 hours per year in school and 1500 hours per year watching television, it only makes sense that broadcasting stations have begun offering educational materials. 

10. Repetition used for effect – 1. Triple use of words or word patterns – “Magic 3!” 2. Example – “Why notgive the kids a safe place to play? Why nottake a bite out of neighborhood crime? Why notmake this world a safer place? Example: From television, I learned that elephants return to the grave site of a family member for at least a year after its death. From television, I learned about WWII and the axis of evil. From television, I learned the function of a conjunction and what a synonym is.

11. Call for action – 1. Urge the reader (your audience) to act 2. Ask the reader to DO SOMETHING. 3 Example “pass the bill now”, “vote yes for the curfew.” 4. Use an action verb! • Example: • Don’t write off the educational value of television. Consider how much you have learned from broadcasting channels like Discovery and PBS.