Writing to persuade

We’re talking right now about the number one most critical skill that can drive your career success and impact: writing. If you are going to write effectively you’ve got to know why you are writing, and we identified 3 modes of written technical communication. We’ve covered the first, let’s look at the second…

Writing to persuade

When you are writing to persuade your audience, you are trying to convince them that your idea, product, or solution is the one they should select or act upon.

You are really selling your idea to the audience. Not only do you have to give them enough technical information to understand, implement, or act upon your solution, but you also have to convince them of the superiority of your approach over competing approaches.

Write you write depending on who is reading

The kind of information you present to accomplish this last goal will vary widely depending upon your audience.

An audience of engineers will likely depend much more heavily on the technical information surrounding your solution. An audience of managers will want to know (probably from the engineers) that the solution is technically sound, but they’ll also want to know whether the technology is in keeping with the budget, and what the past performance and successes with your company and technology have been.

An audience of financial managers will want to know what contract vehicles and billing mechanisms your company is prepared to support if your solution is selected.

What does your audience need to know before they act?

In writing to persuade, as in almost all writing, you must understand the perspective of your audience. What are their concerns? What issues need to be addressed for them?

Answer their questions before they ask them. Make them feel as if you and your solution will fit perfectly into their situation. If possible, talk to people with concerns similar to those of your audience before you start writing to get a firsthand appreciation for their perspective.