Strengthen your reasoning abilities

2. Strengthen your reasoning abilities • Construct persuasive arguments • Your goal is to get readers to believe, change or act

3. What is an argument? • A reason (or chain of reasons) used to support a claim • Arrange in logical sequence • Support with evidence

4. Building an argument: Step 1 • Prepare your argument: • Identify your purpose (Take a position? Call to action? Offer solution?)

5. Building an argument: Step 1 • Prepare your argument: • Use reasoning, linking ideas in logical sequence • Gather solid evidence

6. Building an argument: Step 2 • State your claim • Assert that something is true, has value, or should be done

7. Building an argument: Step 3 • Support your claim • Support each point with solid evidence

8. Building an argument: Step 4 • Engage the opposition • Make concessions • Develop rebuttals • Use appropriate appeals

9. Making a claim • Arguments center on a claim, a key point you wish to explain, defend. • It’s clearly arguable • It’s defendable • It’s understandable

10. Making a claim • Distinguish claims from facts and opinions

11. Making a claim • Distinguish claims from facts and opinions • Claim: The film version of The Fellowship of the Rings captures the spirit of Tolkien’s novel.

12. Develop a supportable claim • Avoid claims that are obvious, trivial, or unsupportable • Use qualifiers • Balance confidence with common sense

13. Develop a supportable claim • Gather evidence • Anecdotes • Statistics • Tests • Graphics • Analogies • Expert testimony • Examples

14. Engage the opposition • Make concessions • By acknowledging opposition’s valid points, you build credibility

15. Engage the opposition • Develop rebuttals • Look for small, tactful argument aimed at weakness in opposing argument

16. Engage the opposition • Be logical • Aim to motivate, not manipulate • If readers find your evidence complex, simple, or strange, you’ve lost them