Sep 25 2008
The power of persuasion in writing.
We’ve all heard the old phrase “honesty is the best policy” and while that may not hold true in certain life situations it does when it comes to persuasive writing. Whether it be a tv commercial, a news story, a biography or an ad for merchandise the truth shall set you free, so to speak. The average public can see right through dishonesty, we see it everyday and will see more of it during the presidential campaigns.To be persuasive in any form of writing you have to be truthful. Persuasion is about relaying facts both good and bad and allowing the reader to make informed choices. The reader, many times already knows they’re answer and only needs some gentle persuasion to “seal the deal”. If your writing is only geared towards one end and does not reveal the other end, the reader will be left with too many questions. Presenting both sides on any subject matter is the key. The reader does not want to be told what to do or how to do it. They want the facts so that they can make their own informed decisions.When hearing testament to anything I know I want to hear both the positive and negative. If I only hear positive I tend to not completely believe all I have heard. But, give me the facts, both positive and negative and more than likely I will believe the positive which means you the writer have done your job and persuaded me with your honesty.
