Art of Persuasion Techniques from Steve

RHETORIC OR THE ART OF PERSUASION

Any piece of writing which asks you to argue a point or attempt to persuade one group or another will be enhanced by a number of persuasive or rhetorical tricks. Below is a list of the main tricks you might wish to employ, with an example for each one. Try not to overuse these techniques, but use them as an expert chef would add seasoning to a meal.

1. Emotive Language-trying to tug at the heart strings of your audience. Consider the poor, starving little children in Africa, their swollen bellies rumbling for lack of food. They need help know to alleviate their terrible suffering. You can almost see yourself mailing off a cheque to the Red Cross after reading that. So now you see how easy it is we will try some more challenging tricks.

2. Subtle repetition-re-emphasising the same point but in a subtly different way. Without your help these children will die. We know in these difficult times it is hard to spare any cash but please do give whatever you can. Only your help can keep these poor, unfortunate children alive.

3. Rhetorical questioning-asking a question that does not need an answer/or one to which the answer is obvious. Do you really want to fail the exam?

4. Hyperbole-excessive exaggeration. A technique that can often be used to make a problem seem bigger than it is. This problem will affect countless millions of people. Or This is the most important problem facing the earth today.

5. Attacking the opposition-Try to take the wind out of the competing viewpoint by getting your retaliation in first. Return of the Jedi cannot be termed a better sci-fi film than The Empire Strikes Back. Let’s be honest it’s barely a sci-fi film at all. Ewoks! That’s all I need to say. It’s an excuse for a children’s merchandising line. They should have called it return of the small, furry creatures in the forest.

6. Magic 3’s-the use of three forceful words in close succession for emphasis and to hammer home a point. America’s behaviour, in relation to this matter is craven, cowardly and selfish. Bang, bang, bang you have magic 3’s.

7. Parallel structures-You show the reader the bad side before getting them to consider what you really want them to do. To hold a grudge would be a terrible thing to do, it creates bitterness and unhappiness to forgive is divine.
Assertion-presenting opinions as facts. This is a grave crisis and if we do not act know there may be no world to save