Communicating Persuasively

Elements of a Persuasive Argument

• The evidence: the facts and judgements that support your claim
• The reasoning: the logic you use that connects the claim to the evidence
• The claim: the idea you are communicating

Claim: Our company should institute flextime scheduling

Evidence

• The turnover rate of our employees with young children (EWYC) is 50% higher than that of our employees without children.
• 40% of our EWYC said they quit so they could be home for their children
• Replacing a staff-level employee costs us about one-half the employee's annual salary

Evidence

• Other companies have found that flextime significantly decreases turnover among EWYC
• Other companies have found that flextime has additional benefits and introduces no significant problems

Reasoning/Logic

• At other companies, flextime appears to have reduced the turnover problem among EWYC
• Our company is similar to these companies
• Flextime is likely to improve employee retention and reduce costs

Kinds of Evidence

• Numerical data
• Examples
• Expert Testimony
• Less effective: commonsense arguments

Considering Opposing Viewpoints

• The opposing argument based on illogical reasoning or on inaccurate or incomplete facts
• Opposing argument is valid but less powerful than yours
• Two arguments can be reconciled

Untitled Slide