1. Persuasion

2. Rhetoric 101
The art of eloquently convincing an audience of your opinion or viewpoint

3. Formality & flattery
Adopt a formal and flattering tone – but don’t be effusive or sycophantic!

4. Personalise the delivery by using ‘we’, ‘you’ and ‘your’
Personal pronouns
Personalise the delivery by using ‘we’, ‘you’ and ‘your’

5. Appeal to the head
Logic, common sense

6. Fear, guilt, empathy, altruism
Appeal to the heart
Fear, guilt, empathy, altruism

7. Facts, statistics, research & surveys,
Hard evidence
Facts, statistics, research & surveys,

8. Expert opinion, anecdotes & examples
Soft evidence
Expert opinion, anecdotes & examples

9. Rewards, offers, accentuate the positives
Incentives
Rewards, offers, accentuate the positives

10. Humour
A wry sense of humour whilst not seeming flippant about serious issues can win over an audience

11. All things are relative!
The law of contrast
All things are relative!

12. Credible exaggeration for effect
Hyperbole
Credible exaggeration for effect

13. Don’t shy away from strongly expressed opinion and dramatic vocabulary
Emotive language
Don’t shy away from strongly expressed opinion and dramatic vocabulary

14. It’s simple, repeatable and very effective!
Rule of 3
It’s simple, repeatable and very effective!

15. Poetic devices
Alliteration, simile & metaphor to paint word pictures and create musicality

16. Rhetorical questions
Can you think of a good reason why you wouldn’t include them in your writing?

17. Imperatives
As you gain confidence that you have hooked your audience, don’t be afraid to use commands to drive home your point

18. Rhetoric revisited Humour Formality & flattery The law of contrast
Hyperbole
Emotive language
The rule of 3
Poetic devices
Rhetorical questions
Imperatives
Formality & flattery
Personal pronouns
Appeal to the head
Appeal to the heart
Hard evidence
Soft evidence
Incentives

19. How to structure a persuasive text

21. What kind of structure do you think is most likely to make your text memorable and persuasive?

22. A hard-hitting opening line

23. The first paragraph should offer an overview of your stance or opinion that you will be putting forward for consideration

24. The main body of your writing will be divided into clear paragraphs – each will present a new point or idea that supports your overarching premise

25. Make full use of the rhetorical techniques you are now familiar with in each of your paragraphs to ensure that the CONTENT and STRUCTURE complement one another

26. Your final paragraph should summarise your stance and reinforce the strength of the ideas you have presented

27. The last line should be memorable, punchy and an ‘applause cue’

28. GCSE-style writing question

29. An open air concert has been planned for next summer but the farmer who owns the land where the concert is to be held has received objections from locals. He is now undecided about whether or not to allow the event to take place. Write a letter persuading him to allow the concert to go ahead.