Analyze Your Audience Before You Start: Know who I am. That’s all I’ll say. You need to come up with questions to get to know me and my needs and post them under the Persuasive Letter Question Thread in the Discussion Forum.
Wordcount limit: There is none—your boss would never tell you to have a word count; this is a school construct. Instead, keep in mind the following: be thorough in your persuasive arguments, but be concise. Self-editing is your friend.
The guidelines:
_ Is the format of this letter in accurate business letter format?
_ Did you address your reader appropriately?_
_ Is the purpose of the letter readily apparent?
_ Does the letter think of your reader’s (Susan’s) needs (i.e., you haven’t written this letter in a bubble as you discuss your thoughts from a general audience perspective)?
_ Are there proportionate pros and cons for each side?
_ Is there enough research for each side you bring up?
_ Is that research coupled with its source in a way that the reader can look it up if need be? Remember, this is a snail mail letter—you can’t hyperlink. Also, I want you to practice COMMON SENSE referencing, so stay away from APA and MLA. Here’s is an example of COMMON SENSE referencing: According to Zack Smith in “The Hidden Perils of Yoga,”it is…•Note that I have the author’s full name•Note that I have the full title
_ Is the detail specific and informative (“Twelve thousand people use attachments each day”) vs. general (“A lot of people use attachments”)?
_ Does the letter answer questions or overcome objections the reader may have? (Put yourself in the reader’s shoes (mine!). Your Cons should help you with those objections. What would you want to know that hasn’t been answered? What issues would you have with this decision—hypothetically—that you think I would have, too?
_ Is there a list (or two) of bulleted points that may have a visual impact for the reader, making your points more persuasive?
Do these lists have appropriate, scannable headers?
Is that list parallel in structure and absolutely grammar-error-free?
_ Is only factual language used throughout the entire letter? Is all fluffy language (e.g., Running is great) cut and only informative language used(e.g., Running helped 546 participants lose 12 pounds in one month)?_ Does the letter exclude anything that sounds dictatorial, condescending, or arrogant?Remember, you’rea student in ENG 212 and I’m your teacher._ Is there an action close that includes:•Telling me what I should pick •Making the action sound easy•Offering a reason for acting promptly•Ending with a positive picture•Not sounding like a used car salesman—or you’ve lost your way. ;o)
__ Is there a well-worded deadline/call to action in this letter to show the reader that this is not a passive “one day I’ll bet to it” letter
.Lastly, does the entire letter look visually pleasant, with enough whitespace and in a format that a skimmer/scanner would be able to read quickly?
And very lastly, is the letter properly formatted and looks professional? (Tip: Unprofessional looking letters that have formatting issues will be ridiculed by the reader and not taken seriously.)And in the end:
__Did you proofread with yourself in your reader’s shoes? (Hint: What does an ENG 212 teacher want to hear?)