ENGL-2333RTechnical Writing I

Technical Communications - Ninth Edition, Lannon, John M.

Chapter 4 - Making a Persuasive Case

Reading was for Chapter 3 and 4 and this is Chapter 4
In our discussions we will use argument to mean "process of careful reasoning in support of a claim" not "a quarrel or dispute".

1. Identify Your Specific Goal
   1. Arguing to Influence People's Opinions
   2. Arguing to Enlist People's Support
   3. Presenting a Proposal
      1. Spell out the problem in enough detail to convince readers of its importance
      2. Point out the benefits of solving the problem
      3. Offer a realistic, cost-effetive solution
      4. Address anticipated objections to your plan
      5. Give reasons why your readers should be the one to act.
   4. Arguing to Change People's Behavior
2. Assess the Political Realities
3. Expect Audience Resistance
   1. For people to admit you are right they may have to admit they were wrong.
   2. There are three ways people may respond
      1. Compliance - I will do it cause you are making me
      2. Identification - I like you and you make sense, I believe that you could be ok
      3. Internalization - What you say makes sense fits my goals and values
4. Know How to Connect with the Audience
   1. Power connection - Do it cause I am telling you to do it.
   2. Relationship Connection - Do it, I am inviting you to, it would be nice if you could.
   3. Rational Connection - Here are some pros, you may have some cons, lets talk about them.
5. Allow For Give and Take
6. Ask for a Specific Response
7. Never Ask for Too Much
8. Recognize All Communication Constraints
   1. Organizational Constraints
      1. There are unwritten rules in all organizations
      2. Be careful when you cross the lines that you should not
   2. Legal Constraints
   3. Ethical Constrains
   4. Time Constraints
   5. Social and Psycholigical Constraints
      1. What is your relationship with the audience? Are they subordinates or senior level
      2. What is the audience personality? - (Self esteem, assetivenes, open/closed mindness, etc.) - The less persuadable, the more you must work
      3. Audience sense of identity/affiliation - address the groups collective concerns
      4. Preceived size/urgency of group.
9. In Brief: The Psycholgy of Persuassive Appeals
   1. Why we say no
      1. Fear of unknown
      2. Fear of disruption
      3. Fear of failure
   2. Why we say yes
      1. Reciprocation
      2. Consistency
      3. Social Validations
      4. Liking
      5. Authority
      6. Scarcity
   3. Cross-Cultural Differences
      1. Asked for help American will give it if they feel they owe a favor
      2. Chinese influenced by status or authority
      3. Spanish based on friendship
      4. Germans followed rules
      5. These are generalized statement
10. Support Your Claims Convincingly
    1. Offer Convincing Evidence
       1. Evidence has quality
       2. The sources are credible
       3. Evidence is concidered reasonable
       4. Common evidence includes factural statements, statistics, and expert testimony
    2. Appeal to Common Goals and Values
11. Concider the Cultural Context
    1. Make sure that you take into concideration your audiences cultural makeup
    2. Above all else, allow people to save face
12. Shape Your Arguments
13. Guidelines For Making Your Case
14. Checklist For Cross Cultural Documents
15. Exercises
16. Collaborative Projects
17. Service-Learning Project