Writing Goal: Persuasive Argument

Imagine you’re sitting in the waiting room at the dentist’s office. The receptionist says you’ll have about a fifteen-minute wait. The last thing you want to do is think about what’s going to happen while you’re sitting in the dentist’s chair, so you grab a magazine and start flipping pages.

You stop to look at an advertisement for a new brand of toothpaste that promises to whiten your teeth in just ten days. The model in the ad has a perfect smile. Wouldn't it be great if the orthodontist could make your teeth look that fantastic? Just in case he can't, you decide to buy a tube of this amazing new toothpaste.

You flip a few more pages and the title of an article catches your eye—The Importance of Preventing Sunburns. You read the article and are shocked to discover that young people are being diagnosed with skin cancer. You still plan to go to the beach with your friends this weekend, but you’ll definitely remember to take sunscreen. In fact, you can pick up some at the drug store when you buy the toothpaste.

The dentist’s assistant calls out your name. Wow! Those fifteen minutes flew by.

And in that brief time, you were persuaded to buy a new product and think about a way to protect your health.

That’s the power of persuasion!

Workshop Overview:

1. First, you need to choose an issue you want to convince someone about.
2. Then, you need to identify your position on the issue.
3. Next, you need to research information about your issue to include in your argument and outline a plan for your persuasive argument essay and speech.
4. You need to write your essay.
5. Finally, you need to practice presenting it as speech.

   Writing Targets:

By the end of this workshop you will have incorporated the following into your piece:

• A clear opening statement
• At least three supporting points in your body paragraphs and your speech that are supported by facts, examples, statistics, quotations, and occasionally emotional appeals
• You have identified and responded to opposing views
• A clear closing statement
• A highly persuasive argument
• Confident, fluent and engaging oral presentation