What is persuasive writing?
Persuasive writing intends to convince readers to believe in an idea or opinion. It’s a form of non-fiction writing the writer uses to develop logical arguments, making use of carefully chosen words and phrases. Reviews, editorials, proposals, advertisements and brochures are some examples of pieces of writing that use persuasion to influence readers.
Three techniques in persuasive writing
There are three common techniques in persuasive writing:
- By , such as facts and statistics, statements of experts, and research findings establishes credibility to the writing. Readers are more likely to be convinced by the writing when it is backed up with evidence.
- With the use of relevant and reasonable examples writers can enhance their idea or opinion. Those examples can be based on observations or from the writer’s own experiences.
- In using accurate, current, and balanced information, the writer adds to the credibility of his or her writing. If the writer acknowledges evidence that opposes his or her opinion or idea, and present evidence that favor his or her opinions or ideas that will make the writer’s ideas and opinion more credible.
Why is it important that my child learns persuasive writing?
Persuasive writing plays an important role in our everyday lives. From the TV chef telling us to cook healthy meals, to a magazine article detailing why we need to exercise regularly – providing a point of view and backing it up with facts to persuade the reader, is a critical skill for our kids to learn.
Simply put, to be able to express their ideas and opinions in a constructive way on paper is something they’ll rely on in their professional and personal lives.
So what can parents do to help their children develop persuasive writing? In our next blog post we’ll highlight four tools that will help kids to succeed in persuasive writing.
