The Persuasive Edge – How to Convince Confidently and Competently in Writing?
In our previous article, we explored why persuasion is an important skill in the modern workplace. This is particularly so for young communicators who are just starting to explore speaking and writing skills. For your child, persuasion and argumentative opportunities may not come from the typical public speaking stage. Most of the school/examination syllabus requires students to present their arguments or stories in the written form. In short, students nowadays will need to both speak and write convincingly and compellingly!
Persuasive writing may not be entirely straightforward. It definitely engages a different set of skills compared to persuasive speaking. In specific professional fields (such as the legal industry), students are taught to develop both persuasive writing and speaking skills in tandem. Right at the outset, writing sets you at a slight disadvantage because of the inability to rely on speech delivery techniques (e.g. vocal variety, body language) to convince. On the other hand, a clear, convincing and compelling piece of writing has the potential of resting longer in the reader’s mind. This is so especially since the reader has the luxury of time to digest the piece of writing.
From the differences between both forms, the techniques and tips for persuasive writing are unique as well. Here are 3 simple tips we have extracted to help your child boost their persuasive edge.
Tip #1: Skeleton Before Meat, Structure Before Content
A compelling dish goes beyond just taste – there is great care and attention in putting together flavours that work well. Persuasive writing is similar to this. It is easy to argue (any child would agree to that!); it is more challenging to come up with a well-structured and persuasive argument. The common mistake students make is to dive straight into the content, forcing the points out as they write. This is likely to result in an inevitable writer’s block or a confusing draft.
Instead, help your child by bringing their focus on the planning before writing. Start identifying the external and internal structures. The external structure is the broad plan for your writing piece. Ask the broader questions such as what the objective of the writing is or what is the problem/issue you are addressing. This allows your child to keep in mind the broader considerations such as tone, length, or even writing style. The internal structure looks at the specific plan for the writing piece. Once the broad direction is decided, the next step is to craft the stepping stones to reach the objective. Your child will now consider how to draft specific sections or paragraphs, picking out the strongest points they want to present. This is the best opportunity to have a discussion with your child on the merits of their planned arguments before they dive into the writing itself.
Tip #2: The Secret Sauce (Source) – Do Your Research, Cite Your Sources
Having a linguistic or writing flair for presenting your arguments is just one aspect. A fantastic vocabulary or flowery language without support for the arguments will not create a persuasive writing piece. Instead, instil the habit of continuous research and curiosity in your child by encouraging them to research and support their writing. The aim is not to turn your child into an immaculate researcher overnight but to remind them of the importance of making an accurate argument.
You can start by helping your child run through the eventual draft by your child. Have a discussion over which parts of the arguments require support, be it in the form of further research, statistic or evidence. Collate the various points of additional research and help your child plan the portions of the writing that can be improved on. Remember to remind your child to cite the sources used in the arguments. A persuasive argument is one that is well-supported and accurate as well!
Tip #3: Verbalise Your Arguments – Speak Write (Right)
Just because you are presenting your arguments in written form does not mean speaking skills are entirely irrelevant. Getting your child to read their arguments out aloud can help to strengthen the persuasiveness of their written work. This will allow you to help your child test the logical flow of the written arguments and determine if there is coherence to the written work. This exercise can also help your child identify gaps in the arguments.
Help your child through this process by acting as the audience for his/her presentation. To maximise your guiding role, focus on the logical structure, the language used and the extent of research. By highlighting these areas, your child can continue working on the existing draft, in preparing the best arguments for his/her broad objective. In short, your child will practise how to write and speak persuasively in one session!
Final Thought:
Keep Writing, Writing and Writing
Sharpening your persuasive edge, be it in the written or oral form, requires persistent practice. Beyond developing the delivery, your child may have to go through numerous recrafting and refining of their written arguments. That is the true crux of learning how to write; not for the grades but one should write to learn how to THINK! The recrafting and refining stimulate students’ minds to find the most compelling yet succinct way to bring their points across. With the three tips above, we hope that you too can help your child along in crafting their most persuasive written arguments!
Public Speaking Academy strives to help students with both types of communication:
For verbal communication:
Public Speaking for Kids/ Children:
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/group-classes-students-age-9-18/
Public Speaking for Adults:
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/courses-and-programs/group-classes-for-adults/
For written communication:
PSLE English Tuition for Primary 5 & 6: