Methods of Persuasion

In order for your argument to be convincing, you must provide:

 In class, you are given five that you can use:

F.E.R.A.P.

The 5 Methods of Persuasion

(According to the text: Evergreen: a guide to writing)

Facts

Examples

Referring to Authority

Answering the Opposition

Predicting the Consequence

How to use these to convince in an Argument 

(Information courtesy of: https://valenciacollege.edu/wp/cssc/documents/TypesofEvidenceinPersuasiveFINAL.pdf and http://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/essays/persuasion/)

Using facts is a powerful means of convincing. Facts can come from your reading, observation, or personal experience. Facts cannot be disputed. This makes them a strong form of evidence. 

CAUTION:

Facts can be interpreted or presented in skewed ways, which may result in skewed or erroneous conclusions. Personal opinions (such as “Dustin Hoffman is the best actor who has ever lived”)

are never facts, they are claims/opinions. For example...

                         • Grass is green. (in the winter?)

                         • Stalin was a famous man, loved by many people.

                         • It's a fact that the French are smelly and snobbish.

Using statistics (one type of facts) can provide excellent support for your argument. Arguments employing amounts and numbers are concrete and therefore support claims because they use logic and facts. 

Be sure your statistics come from good sources, which you will cite. Examples:

       • Over 61% of Americans are overweight.

       • Unemployment in Illinois is at 5%.

       • During each game, Sean Hill of the NY Islanders spent an     

          average of 20:09 minutes on the ice. 

 

 Using examples or anecdotes from your own experience can enhance your meaning and also engage the reader. Personal examples make your ideas concrete. These real-life examples allow a reader to relate to the issues personally.

• For many years, my best friend’s husband beat her—the police did nothing about it; therefore, we need better laws so domestic abusers can be punished more stringently.

              

• After living in Iceland for a decade, I can honestly say that the people are kind and warm.

              

• Immigration laws should allow amnesty to illegals—my father came here from Mexico twenty years ago, and he has worked 50 hours a week to support us. If he is deported, he will leave behind his children, who are citizens. I do not think this is fair to all of us.

CAUTION:

For personal experience to be convincing, however, it must also be applicable, present reasonable background understanding, show a universal or general situation, and be related to the thesis somehow.

           

 • I've never been to Australia, but it seems from all the movies I’ve seen about the place that they all like to drink and barbecue.

 • My experience in visiting Canada on a high school trip showed me that their medical system is superior to ours.

         

• Cats are not friendly. My neighbor’s cat never comes to me when I call it.

REFERRING TO

Using quotes from leading experts or authorities in their fields will support your position—this is a logical appeal and is accepted by other academics as a good way to back up your claims.

• Dr. Kenneth P. Moritsugu, U.S. Surgeon General, described long term problems associated with underage drinking: “Research shows that young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life.”

• Samantha King, a noted forensic specialist, stated that DNA evidence is usually indisputable. 

CAUTION:

It is EXTREMELY important to make sure that the authoritative information you choose is actually accurate and relevant to your point. Sometimes, so-called authorities are not what they seem or

information is misleading.

• My two friends in Florida think that Miami’s a better place to visit than Chicago. (Note: these are biased sources.)

• My grandmother, who has property worth over $2 million, believes that estate tax laws need overhauling. 

(Note: she’s probably not an expert in tax law, and she has a vested interest.)

• Movie critic Eleanor Lyttle writes that Star Wars Revenge of the Sith is “wondrous” and “a mustsee.”

(Note: the actual quotation read: “Revenge of the Sith is a horrific film. It is a wondrous waste, but it is a must-see if you want to understand what a truly bad move looks like.” In this

case, obviously, the quotations are used out of context.)

• Dr. Petrelli endorses energy drinks to boost metabolism. 

(Note: who is Dr. Petrelli?) 

 ANSWERING THE OPPOSITION or 

COUNTER-ARGUMENT

Counter-arguments consider the opposition's point-of-view, then present arguments against it ('to be counter to' means 'to be against'). Showing that you are aware of other arguments will strengthen your own. 

This is often the most difficult type of support, as you need to think who the opposition is, consider their view, and think of a good response. Counter-arguments are often presented first in a paragraph (or in the introductory paragraph). 

Useful language for this type of support are phrases such as 'Opponents claim that... However...', 'Some may say that... but...' or transition signals such as 'Although...'. 

The following are examples of counter-arguments for an essay on same-sex schools. Language for counter-arguments is shown in bold.

- Although it has been suggested that same sex schools make children more focused on study, it is generally agreed that children of the same sex are more likely to talk with each other during class time.

- Opponents of mixed schools claim that it is more difficult for students to concentrate when there are members of the opposite sex studying close to them. However, it is much easier for students to be distracted by members of the same sex.

 PREDICTING THE

Predicting the consequence helps the reader understand what will happen if something does or does not happen. This type of support will therefore usually be introduced with 'If...'. 

For example, to convince your readers that same-sex schools are disadvantageous, you might say, 

'If students do not go to mixed schools, they will lose many opportunities to interact with members of the opposite sex, which may hurt them in their development of important social skills'. 

CAUTION:

Avoid exaggerating the consequences. For instance, telling the reader, 'If students do not go to mixed schools, they will be shy and will not be able to talk to members of the opposite sex' exaggerates the consequences of going to single-sex schools and will make your argument less persuasive.

I know this information will be 

WAS IT?