Online Class: Writing Effective Persuasion

By utilizing the tools within this Persuasive Writing Techniques class, you will find everything in your life increases, from your potential pay as you begin impressing bosses with your persuasive writing, to purchasing cars because you will know the persuasion tricks before they happen to you.

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  • 13
    Lessons
  • 19
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 1,328
    Students
    have taken this course
  • 12
    Hours
    average time
  • 1.2
    CEUs
 
 

Course Description

The Power of Words: Mastering Persuasive Writing

Words wield power. The right words, strung together with craft and understanding, can change the course of history. They can inspire movements, build enterprises, and even sell the seemingly unsellable. Persuasive writing is the backbone of our civilization's greatest achievements, from stirring political campaigns and influential speeches to groundbreaking marketing and pivotal social movements.

Do captivating orations resonate with you long after they are delivered? Have you ever been intrigued by the ability of certain individuals to sell almost anything through sheer verbal prowess? If so, then you have already recognized the immense power of persuasion.

It is said that to master persuasion is to have the world at one's fingertips. This mastery has been at the core of every notable leader—be it a head of state, a military strategist, a titan of industry, or a grassroots organizer. They have all relied on the potent art of persuasion to galvanize people into action.

This comprehensive online course aims to imbue you with this very expertise—specifically in the realm of written persuasion. To persuade with the written word means to have the capability to sway others without the immediacy of vocal exchange, which can be a far more challenging endeavor. It's about making your words so compelling that they can influence someone's beliefs, actions, or decisions, whether through a business proposal, a poignant opinion piece, an impactful advertisement, or an insightful essay.

What Will You Gain from This Course?

  • Enhanced Career Prospects: Elevate your professional value by crafting persuasive documents that impress and influence employers, stakeholders, and clients.

  • Sharper Negotiation Skills: Decipher the mechanics behind persuasive tactics and become adept at negotiation, whether you're buying a car or presenting an argument.

  • Intellectual Growth: Understanding the principles of persuasion is a profound intellectual pursuit that can transform the way you communicate and think.

Detailed Course Content:

  1. What Is Persuasion?: An introduction to the art of persuasion and its foundational concepts in written form.

  2. Why Write Persuasively?: The importance of persuasive writing in various spheres of life and its potential impact.

  3. The Elements of Persuasion: Breakdown of the key components that make writing persuasive.

  4. Understanding Reason and Emotion: How to balance logical arguments and emotional appeal to craft compelling narratives.

  5. Determining a Goal: Establishing clear objectives to shape your persuasive writing strategy.

  6. Convincing the Opposition: Techniques to win over or neutralize skeptics through your writing.

  7. Brainstorming: Generating ideas and approaches for persuasive arguments.

  8. The Introduction: Crafting a powerful opening to hook readers and set the stage for your arguments.

  9. Writing the Body: Developing a convincing argument throughout the body of your text.

  10. Finding the Winning Argument: Identifying and emphasizing the most compelling points in your writing.

  11. Proofreading What You Have Written: Ensuring clarity, coherence, and impact through meticulous revision.

  12. Examples of Persuasive Writing: Studying successful examples to understand what makes them work.

  13. Applying Persuasive Writing in the World: Practical applications of persuasive writing skills in real-world scenarios.

By the end of this course, you will have harnessed the skills to craft writing that not only conveys a message but changes minds and ignites action. This course is not just a learning experience—it's an opportunity to transform the potency of your words and make an indelible mark on your readers. It is designed for those who aspire to make a difference, whether in the boardroom, the marketplace, the community, or even within the vast landscape of digital communication.

Step into the world of persuasive writing, and let your words transcend mere communication to become powerful instruments of influence. Enroll now and start the journey of refining your writing into an art form that moves, motivates, and matters.

Course Motivation

What Is Persuasion?
 

Before we can get down to talking about persuasive writing techniques, we have to look at exactly what persuasion is. How does persuasion influence our lives and alter our decisions? Do we encounter it on a daily basis, or is it something that we only see once in a while? To write effective persuasion, we need to understand persuasion at its core.

Persuasion is defined as a form of social influence where someone is guided, usually by another person, toward an idea, attitude, or action through symbolic, rational, and sometimes logical methods.  

Aristotle, who many feel is the father of persuasion with his essays and writings, said that rhetoric is the art of discovering the available means of persuasion. What does this mean exactly? It means that in conversations between two individuals, whether consciously or unconsciously, there is the effort to persuade someone to your point of view.

One very well-known form of persuasion is propaganda. Propaganda is a series of messages that are aimed at influencing the behaviors, and even the opinions, of huge groups of people, often numbering in the millions. Propaganda can come in a wide variety of forms, from complete lies, to absolute truth (the most effective form), but are used to produce an emotional response from the public, rather than a rational one. This is often seen in wartime. Governments will put out posters dictating that if you are not helping the war effort like your fellow citizens, then you are siding with the enemy. Many posters in England and the United States during World War II qualified as this type of propaganda.These posters used many of the methods we have discussed above: 

  • Commitment. Many citizens believed fighting the Nazis and the Japanese was the right thing to do for the world.
  • Social Proof. By saying that their fellow citizens are fighting, the person seeing the poster is more likely to respond favorably.
  • Authority. Usually it depicted Winston Churchill, a soldier, or Uncle Sam, telling the person reading the poster to enlist and help the war effort.
  • Liking. The people who read the poster most probably liked the authority figures in them, or identified with them, and therefore were more likely to respond favorably to them.
Writing effective persuasion uses all the methods we have discussed here, in various forms. Now that we understand what persuasion is, we can now determine why we would want to write persuasively.
  • Completely Online
  • Self-Paced
  • 6 Months to Complete
  • 24/7 Availability
  • Start Anytime
  • PC & Mac Compatible
  • Android & iOS Friendly
  • Accredited CEUs
Universal Class is an IACET Accredited Provider
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.5 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(607 votes)

Lesson 1: What Is Persuasion?

Before we can get down to talking about persuasive writing techniques, we have to look at exactly what persuasion is. How does persuasion influence our lives and alter our decisions? 14 Total Points
  • Lesson 1 Video
  • Lesson discussions: How Persuasive are You?; Reasons for Taking this Course
  • Complete Assignment: An Introduction
  • Assessment: Lesson 1: What Is Persuasion?

Lesson 2: Why Write Persuasively?

One of the most common questions relating to persuasion is why would you want to write persuasively? What point can there be to it? 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 2 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 2: Why Write Persuasively?

Lesson 3: The Elements of Persuasion

There are several principles, or types, of persuasion. Various types of persuasion have the ability to convince people in different ways. Additional lesson topics: Deceptive Advertising 14 Total Points
  • Lesson 3 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 3 Assignment: Deceptive Advertising
  • Assessment: Lesson 3: The Elements of Persuasion

Lesson 4: Understanding Reason and Emotion

In the last lesson, we briefly discussed the two main methods of persuasion, which were reason and emotion. In this lesson, we will go over these two methods in more detail. Additional lesson topics: Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Statistics 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 4 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 4: Understanding Reason and Emotion

Lesson 5: Determining a Goal

Now that we have looked at the various means of creating persuasion in a written document, we can then look at the first part of writing persuasion, which is determining the goal of what you are trying to persuade someone towards. 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 5 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 5: Determining a Goal

Lesson 6: Convincing the Opposition

In this lesson, we are going to look at how you can convince the opposition that your point is right and that is what they should follow. 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 6 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 6: Convincing the Opposition

Lesson 7: Brainstorming

While brainstorming is primarily done in groups, in this lesson, we will look at brainstorming in an individual setting. 14 Total Points
  • Lesson 7 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 7 Assignment: Brainstorming
  • Assessment: Lesson 7: Brainstorming

Lesson 8: The Introduction

The introduction is very important, because this is where you tell the reader and audience exactly what you are going to try and convince them of. Additional lesson topics: The Art of Writing Persuasively 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 8 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 8: The Introduction

Lesson 9: Writing the Body

The body of the work is where all the points are, where all your information is, and where you make your arguments of why you want the reader to come over to your side. Additional lesson topics: The Five Paragraph Essay 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 9 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 9: Writing the Body

Lesson 10: Finding the Winning Argument

Your conclusion is very important to your entire persuasive argument, because a conclusion that stays in your reader's mind will help you convince them that your point of view is the right one. 19 Total Points
  • Lesson 10 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 10 Assignment: Writing Your Argument
  • Assessment: Lesson 10: Finding the Winning Argument

Lesson 11: Proofreading What You Have Written

One of the most important tasks that you need to accomplish with persuasive writing now needs to be done. It is proofreading, and without it you could find that your entire argument in the essay may fall flat. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 11 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Proofreading
  • Assessment: Lesson 11: Proofreading What You Have Written

Lesson 12: Examples of Persuasive Writing

There are several types of persuasive writing that are used for different reasons. Some are good, some are bad, but all have the same goal in mind -- and that is to convince you, or someone else, that an opposing view is right. Additional lesson topics: 100 Speeches 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 12 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 12: Examples of Persuasive Writing

Lesson 13: Applying Persuasive Writing in the World

If there is one thing humans are not always eager to do, it is change, and persuasive writing is all about change. 73 Total Points
  • Lesson 13 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Using Your SKills; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course); Course Comments
  • Complete: Lesson 13 Final Assignment: How Will You Use Your Skills
  • Assessment: Lesson 13: Applying Persuasive Writing in the World
  • Assessment: The Final Exam
209
Total Course Points
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Define persuasion and summarize reasons to write persuasively.
  • Define the elements of persuasion.
  • Demonstrate use of reason and emotion.
  • Determine a goal.
  • Summarize methods for convincing the opposition.
  • Brainstorm your idea.
  • Create an introduction.
  • Write the body.
  • Find the winning argument and use it appropriately.
  • Proofread.
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: Writing Effective Persuasion
Course Number: 8900122
Lessons Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars (607 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is online and available in all 50 states including: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Last Updated: January 2024
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 1.2 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Instructor: UniversalClass Instructional Team
Syllabus: View Syllabus
Course Fee: $120.00 U.S. dollars

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Student Testimonials

  • "Some good tips that could serve me well in the future." -- Riley Z.
  • "This is an excellent course with appropriate content. All parts were helpful." -- Mohammad H.

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