Discussion
Prepare:
Prior to beginning this discussion, read the following:
· 8.2: Thinking About Tone and Language
Write: 2-3 Paragraphs
In this discussion, you and your classmates will reflect on what makes writing persuasive. Much practical writing (noncreative) is intended to persuade in some way or another. As you have read, business writing always makes an ask of the reader, even if it is just for their attention. In this discussion, reflect on the following topics and address them in your post:
· Share with the group something you have read recently and found persuasive. It might have been an opinion piece in a newspaper or magazine, a post on social media, a brochure, or a billboard.
· Explain what makes the writing persuasive. How did the writer convince you? Provide evidence from the writing to support your explanation.
· Think of a piece of writing you have seen in a work context that you found persuasive. It might have been an email, a memo describing a new policy, or a recommendation for a change in procedures. Share that example with your classmates.
· Explain what makes the work context writing piece persuasive. Again, how did the writer convice you? Provide evidence from the writing to support your explanation.
· Working from these two examples, generalize about what makes writing persuasive. Are there elements that all persuasive writing has in common?
Respond to at two classmates post
Use this discussion as an opportunity to get to know each other, share ideas, ask questions, explore differences, and think critically about your assumptions. 2-4 Sentences
POST 1
Good afternoon Class,
This discussion forum is tough to complete as I haven’t purchased a newspaper in years. I discontinued social media and rarely get out of the house due to COVID. I remember a past billboard about electronic cigarette vaporizers and how they were unhealthy for users. The add was persuasive because the billboard had a picture of a metallic monster that was attacking a person.
An email that comes to mind when thinking of a persuasive piece is from a recent incentive. The email detailed teaching my agents a task to implement over the course of a week. The supervisor with the highest score on the learned technique would earn a gift card. This was persuasive as I enjoy anything free. I love a good competition. I’m very competitive so the incentive was intriguing. This persuaded me to teach my agents the technique. Reviewing both of my examples I would say persuasive writing will invoke thought for the reader. Persuasive writing is meant to talk someone into doing something.
Thank you for reading,
I recently saw a billboard that was advocating against drunk driving that I found to be especially be persuasive. While I already understood that drunk driving is a terribly dangerous and irresponsible thing to do, this billboard really cemented that idea in my mind. This billboard specified the amount of money one would potentially have to pay if they failed a breathalizer test: $10,000. It was a very blunt and direct way to highlight the magnitude of consequences one would face if they were to drink and drive. It forces one to think that the crime of drunk driving must truly be terrible for the fine to be that high.
As far as a persuasive piece of writing I have recently come across in a work setting, there isn't much for me to work with. As I have stated before, I don't have a lot of professional experience. That being said, I do remember that I was required by my casting agency to take a brief online sensitivity training course. Throughout this course, it was explained to me in rigorous detail how to avoid potentially harassing others in a work environment. The writer of this course convinced me by placing me in the shoes of individuals involved in a workplace harassment situation. I was asked to answer multiple choice questions after reading about various hypothetical scenarios as to how I would have handled those situations. Much like the anti-drunk driving billboard I previously mentioned, I already understood that workplace harassment is a serious issue, but the course I had to take helped me understand the specifics as to why it was such a serious issue.