%% date:: [[2021-08-29]], [[2023-01-04]] Parent:: [[Writing]] %% # [[Persuasive writing]] Persuasive [[Writing]] is the art and science of using words to convince someone of a particular opinion or course of action. ## Techniques in persuasive writing ### Mirror your intended audience [[Mirroring|Mirror]] the attitudes and thoughts of the people you're appealing to, but change the conclusion. This connects part of your argument to something they already believe, and communicates to them that you understand where they're coming from. Be careful: when taken to the extreme, this becomes the [[Logical Fallacy]] [[Reductio ad absurdium]], which extends an argument to a ridiculous extreme. That type of fallacy does not endear you to your readers. ### [[Steel man arguments]] Steel man arguments involve constructing the best possible defense for a position, with the purpose of tearing it all down. It's more difficult to do, but ultimately more convincing than [[Straw man arguments]], which belittle other opinions. ### [[Hegelian Dialectic]] The Hegelian Dialectic is a way to concisely summarise and lay out an argument using *thesis, antithesis, and synthesis*: - Explain an idea and why many think it's correct. - Introduce a counterargument and explain why it's valid. - Reconcile the two in a new unified theoery. This technique has the advantage of being thorough *and* reconciliatory. ### [[Rule of three]] Explain something three times. When you present an argument, apply it three different ways.