Children Start Persuading Their Parents

¶ … Children start persuading their parents as infants, by crying loudly enough to ensure compliance with demands for coddling, food, or juice. Throughout childhood we learn how to get our way with friends, family members, teachers, and total strangers by wielding innate powers of persuasion. By the time a child is old enough to write essays, he or she has already mastered at least the basics of verbal persuasion. However, verbal persuasion has its limits. For example, we can't persuade our congressman to pass a new environmental law, or persuade the CEO of a major corporation to reduce factory emissions. Writing persuasive letters is the only way to have a voice in some, highly significant, situations. Persuasive writing comes in handy in the workplace, too. Writing cover letters for jobs is a form of persuasive writing, and so is writing a memo to the department supervisor. Persuasive writing can be used in personal letters, too. Begging a friend for forgiveness might entail writing a long letter, persuading him to forget about the time you forgot to pick him up at the airport. Therefore, persuasive writing is one of the most important skills a person can have; without mastering the art of persuasive writing we risk never being able to get what we want.

Sometimes letter-writing is the only way to contact an out of reach person such as a politician, an executive, or a celebrity. We can't just call the White House and expect to talk to the President. We can't just call the Shell Corporation and expect to talk to the CEO. We can't just call Angelina Jolie and expect she will answer the phone. Whenever we need to reach a person who is otherwise out-of-reach, we need to write them a letter. Furthermore, the letter must be highly persuasive or else it will get crumpled up and thrown in the trash. Only a persuasive letter will grab a person's attention and encourage them to read further. A persuasive letter has a clear point, and by wielding words deftly you can get the attention of those who might otherwise not listen. Similarly, a person might want to write a group of people: strangers who read the local newspaper or random web surfers. Writing persuasively ensures a high level of readership. No one will read a boring blog or newspaper article. Persuasive writing is eye-catching and drives home to the readers ideas that they might not have entertained in any other way.

We write persuasively without realizing it. For instance, whenever we apply for a job we have to write a cover letter explaining why we feel we are qualified for the position. This is one of the most common types of persuasive writing. Selling ourselves, we write in order to encourage a human resources professional to consider us and hire us for the position. If our powers of persuasion are solid, we may catch the managers' attention regardless of our educational credentials or qualifications. Without knowing how to write persuasively, even a Harvard degree can get overlooked. Mastering persuasive writing is essential in the working world.

Persuasive writing proves exceptionally important in the working world after being hired, too. Some jobs directly demand persuasive writing skills. For example, marketing jobs might require copy writing skills; sales positions might entail writing frequent letters to clients. Whenever we need to encourage someone to use a new product or service or to continue to do business with the company in spite of recent setbacks, we need to write persuasively. Whether the letter is e-mail or type-written, persuasive writing skills are essential for success. Similarly, if we have to write a company memo, only persuasive writing skills can talk a supervisor into adopting a new communication protocol or adopting a new networking software system. Poor writing skills can even lead to being fired.

While persuasive writing seems impersonal, we must use it when writing letters to friends and family. If we need to ask a rich uncle to borrow money, it might be helpful to write a powerfully persuasive letter detailing why the loan is wanted. A persuasive letter might encourage a long-lost relative to fly halfway around the world for a wedding, or ensure an estranged sister to forgive a horrible wrongdoing. Writing persuasive letters to lovers or ex-lovers can determine the future of an interpersonal relationship.

Persuasive writing skills may also be helpful for personal enrichment. If we feel passionate about any subject, we naturally want to share our beliefs with others. The best way to impart our ideas may be through persuasive writing: a blog, a letter to an editor, or an essay. Not only will persuasive writing help get the essay published, it will also ensure readers will take into consideration what you have to say. The goal of persuasive writing is to make an impact on a reader. Ultimately the writer hopes to induce a change of mind or heart; an effective writer can accomplish the miraculous. Writers like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. not only mastered the art of oration. King also mastered the art of persuasive writing, which he used to change the course of American history.