Persuasive Letter Planning Sheet

Persuasive Letter Planning Sheet 1. To whom are you writing? a. Use a standard salutation such as “Dear……” b. Give the recipient of the letter his/her proper title. 2. What is your position on the issue? a. You must research your topic thoroughly to be certain you know enough to have a position! b. State your position clearly in your opening paragraph. 3. What are your three points/facts that support your position? a. You must have three points or facts that have led you to take this position on the issue. b. You should consider the moral, ethical, religious, and financial implications of the position you have taken. c. If you know your reader’s position on this subject, you may take issue with the specific reasons for his viewpoint. 4. What is your supporting evidence? a. For each point (above) you must have three supporting statements that validate your argument. b. You may quote valid sources. These will come from the research you have done. 5. How will you close your letter? a. Your final paragraph should summarize the most important details of your argument. b. The final paragraph also gives you an opportunity to restate your position. c. Close with a standard closing such as “Very truly yours.” Think about this: • Persuading someone to change his/her position means that you must have a very good idea what he believes and why he believes it. • Any argument that you make should be directly related to both his/her position and yours. • Remember that the purpose of this letter is to change the mind of this person, so be sure you state what you want the person to do. • Usually, contact information is provided so that the recipient of your letter knows you are serious and on the level. • Make sure the tone of your letter is professional and courteous. This is not the time to be aggressive or belligerent. • On the other hand, you want to be persuasive, so this is not the time to be wishy-washy.