Evaluating persuasive argument effectiveness using the Toulmin model

Unit 4 Assignment Worksheet
In the Units 3 and 4 Discussions, you created a thesis statement that offered a solution to a problem in your community or workplace. In this unit’s Assignment, you will revise and evaluate the effectiveness of that thesis using the Toulmin Model.
Part I: First of all, you will revise the provisional thesis statement that you generated in the previous unit Discussion. Make sure the thesis is concise (1–2 sentences) and includes two parts: a proposal for solving a problem and a reason that solution is needed. For more on creating effective persuasive thesis statements, review the following Writing Center resources:
· “Give Your Paper Direction: Developing a Strong Thesis Statement”
· “Writing a Thesis for a Persuasive Essay”
Write your revised two-part thesis statement here, and be sure to include a claim + reason (the “because” or “since” clause):
Employees should be taught stress management strategies and techniques so that they can be able to better perform optimally at the workplace; as this would further enhance the performance of the organization.
What type of claim does this represent?
This would be a cause and effect claim. This is more so the case given that this is a debatable argument seeking links between stress management and better organizational performance.
Part II: Next, describe how you will use the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos to make your argument more compelling to your audience. You can review the Writing Center resource on the appeals here: "The Three Appeals of Argumentative Writing"
Logos, according to Shabo (2010), “relies on the use of rational analysis and persuasive language” (p. 8). Towards this end, I will be presenting information in an orderly and logical format. In essence, I will actively make use of available evidence to support the claims made. Further, I will conduct a comprehensive review of the available literature on the subject matter so as to assess what others have in the past said about employee stress and coping mechanisms, and how these tie to enhanced organizational performance. Hellriegel and Slocum (2008), two organizational behavior experts, are of the opinion that stress has behavioral, emotional, and psychological impacts and could affect the ability of an individual to perform optimally. I will make use of authoritative sources such as these to lend support to my argument.
Ethos, on the other hand, has got to do with the enhancement of personal credibility (Shabo). On this front, I will be seeking to present a balanced argument. This will do away with any claim of bias. In that regard, therefore, I will explore arguments that have been presented, or could be used at present, to rebut my thesis. Some persons could, for instance, argue that the impact of employee stress levels on organizational performance is largely negligible and, instead, other factors such as the competitive strategies implemented by the management are instead more defining when it comes to the performance of an organization.
Lastly, we have pathos, which could be seen as an attempt to “elicit an emotional response from the audience” (Shabo, 2010, p. 8). Towards this end, I will attempt to present a persuasive argument to the effect that lowered stress levels would provide a more conducive working environment for employees. It would be undesirable to spend 8 working hours every day in a toxic work environment where people are gloomy and unhappy. A jovial and bright workplace would light up everybody’s world – effectively leading to better performance.
Part III: Identify the parts of your argument based on the Toulmin Model. For more on the Toulmin Model, review the following Writing Center resources:
· Toulmin Model of Argument “Podcast” and “Transcript”
· “How to Support an Argument and Avoid Logical Fallacies”
Claim:
Employees ought to be taught stress management strategies and techniques
Warrant (assumption):
Teaching employees stress management techniques would lead to better organizational performance
Qualifiers: How strongly do you believe in the argument? Would any qualifiers be beneficial? Why or why not?
Stress, whether at home or at the workplace, definitely does affect an individual’s ability to focus and properly perform their duties.
Grounds:
Quite a number of studies conducted in the past have demonstrated that stress affects individual performance. These studies will be cited.
Backing (for the warrant):
When individual performance is threatened, then organizational performance is also effectively threatened because people are an organization’s most important resource.
Rebuttals:
Stress is not the only factor that could affect performance. Further, there are no guaranteed that equipping employees with stress management skills would automatically lead to better performance as employees could be better in handling stress but be demotivated by some other issue such as a supervisor’s style of management.
Identify at least one logical fallacy to which your argument may be susceptible and how you will avoid that fallacy. For more on logical fallacies, review the University Writing Center resource “How to Support an Argument and Avoid Logical Fallacies.”
My argument could be susceptible to what Walton (2010) refers to as “the bandwagon appeal”, or in other terms, ad populum. In this case, I could be influenced to ‘join the majority’ i.e. those who are in favor of the assertion that equipping employees with stress management techniques is likely to better an organization’s performance. This is the general consensus. To avoid this fallacy, I will actively search for arguments and claims that seem to question or rebut my thesis.
References
Hellriegel, D. & Slocum, J.W. (2008). Organizational Behavior (12th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengege Learning.
Shabo, M. (2010). Rhetoric, Logic, and Argumentation: A Guide for Student Writers. New York, NY: Prestwick House Inc.
Walton, D. (2010). Appeal to Popular Opinion. Pennsylvania: Penn State Press.







UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT RUBRIC (50 points)
Unit 4 Assignment Rubric (50 points)
Points Possible
Points Earned

Content
45
 

 
Part I (10 points) 
?     Includes a persuasive thesis statement with a claim + reason
?     Identifies the type of claim
Part II (15 points) 
?         Describes how the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos will be used
Part III (20 points) 
?         Identifies the parts of the argument based on the Toulmin Model (claim, warrant, assumption, qualifiers, grounds, rebuttals)
?         Describes how to overcome at least one logical fallacy
Comments:

Style and mechanics
5
 

 
?     The style is appropriate to the assignment, and sentences are engaging to read as well as clear, concise, and precise.
?     Project is free of serious errors; grammar, punctuation, and spelling help to clarify the meaning by following accepted conventions of Standard English.
Comments:

Grade Total:
/ 50

Plagiarism is a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy. Assignments that are plagiarized will receive a “0.”