Get Them to See it Your Way: The Art of

PersuasionTeam Mission 2 Impossible:Revenge of the Rapscallion

Jake UrmanJeff Hull

Jerett Gordon Brandon White

Alex Saputa

A Reason to Persuade:

Technical Communication at Burning Sun Tech

Consider your Audience:

The Math Department

Understanding your audience’s broader goals:

• Security• Recognition• Personal and

Professional Growth

Working within Constraints:

• Ethical• Legal• Political• Informational• Personnel• Financial• Time• Format and Tone

Construct Your Argument:

• Evidence• Reasoning• Claim

Four Steps to Craft Argument:

• Identify elements• Use the right kind of

evidence• Consider opposing

viewpoints• Decide where to

present claim

What is the Right Kind of Evidence?

• Commonsense• Numerical data• Examples• Expert testimony

What are opposing viewpoints, and how can you address them?• Opposing argument is

illogical or has incomplete facts

• Opposing argument is valid but less powerful than yours

• Compromise between two arguments could be possible

Decide When to Present Your Claim

• Usually best to state at beginning of your argument

• Then provide evidence and reasoning

• Sometimes opposite is OK (also called indirect)

• Usually best if many people oppose your argument

Ensure Argument has no Logical Fallacies:

Logical fallacies can ruin your argument’s persuasiveness

Examples of logical fallacies:• Argument from ignorance• Ad populum – bandwagon argument• Hasty generalization• Ad hominem – argument against speaker• Appeal to pity• Circular argument• Post-hoc – A precedes B, so A must cause B• Oversimplifying

Presenting Yourself Effectively

Professional Demeanor:

• Cooperativeness• Fair-Mindedness• Moderation• Modesty

DO:

• Be calm and confident• Know what you are

talking about• Maintain eye contact

DON’T:

• Stutter• Lose focus• Pace• Panic

Why use graphics and design?

• Simplification• Clarification• Impact• Professionalism

Graphics

• Graphics enhance and support what you are trying to say.

• Be careful: Too many graphics distract, in other words sensory overload

Be ethical; Persuasion is best achieved through:

• Honesty, don’t mislead the audience        

• Cooperativeness• Sincerity

THE END

Writer 001Jerett Gordon

Writer 007Jeff Hull

EditorBrandon White

Content ManagerJake Urman

CoordinatorAlex Saputa