Consider your audience’s three
broader goals:
• security
• recognition
• personal and professional growth
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Work within eight constraints:
• ethical constraints
• legal constraints
• political constraints
• informational constraints
• personnel constraints
• financial constraints
• time constraints
• format and tone constraints
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Follow five steps to craft a persuasive
argument:
• Identify the elements of a persuasive
argument.
• Use the right kinds of evidence.
• Consider opposing viewpoints.
• Appeal to emotions responsibly.
• Decide where to present the claim.
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Understand the three elements of your
argument :
• the claim: the idea you are communicating
• the evidence: the facts and judgments that
support your claim
• the reasoning: the logic that you use to derive
the claim from the evidence
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Use the right kinds of evidence:
• “commonsense” arguments
• numerical data
• examples
• expert testimony
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Consider three ways of meeting possible
objections to your argument:
• Show that the opposing argument is based on
illogical reasoning or on inaccurate or
incomplete facts.
• Show that the opposing argument is valid but
less powerful than your own.
• Show that there may be a way to reconcile the
two arguments.
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Avoid ten common logical fallacies:
• ad hominem attack, or argument against the
speaker
• argument from ignorance
• appeal to pity
• argument from authority
• circular argument, or begging the question
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Avoid ten common logical fallacies (cont.):
•
•
•
•
•
either-or argument
ad populum, or the bandwagon argument
hasty generalization, or inadequate sampling
post-hoc reasoning
oversimplifying
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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Demonstrate four characteristics in creating
a professional persona:
•
•
•
•
cooperativeness
moderation
fair-mindedness
modesty
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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An example of using graphics and design as
persuasive elements
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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An example of using words and images to
create a persuasive argument
Chapter 8. Communicating Persuasively
© 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin's
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