3 Right Tone & Style, Transactional & Persuasive Writing

8/13/2019 3 Right Tone & Style, Transactional & Persuasive Writing

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RIGHT TONE AND STYLETRANSACTIONAL WRITING &

PERSUASIVE WRITING

INTRODUCTION TOCOMMUNICATION



The tone and style you adopt will

depend on your purpose and audience

• PURPOSE• What is it you need to achieve?

• How important is it?• Do you need to persuade?• AUDIENCE• Who will be receiving your message?

• What is their relationship to you?• How will your message affect them?• What is their understanding of the topic and the

language?



STYLE

• Once you are clear about your purpose and

audience, you need to think about what form oflanguage and format would be most appropriate.Should it be formal or informal, simple orcomplex, technical or not?



Does one style fit all?

• Every recurring form has conventions.

Whether you're writing a proposal, pressrelease, status memo, or lab report,chances are it fits into a genre. The faster you can pin down that genre and itsconventions, the more quickly &effectively you can write.




• The genre defines the following most basic qualities ofthe document:

▫ Rhetorical features - each genre addresses the

audience's expectations & needs in a particular way▫ Content - what should be included?

▫ Structure - organise the information

▫ Stylistic elements - decide on appropriate language,

use of jargon, formatting etc.▫ Regardless of genre, you owe your readers certain

basic qualities of good writing.




• How do you recognise a genre?

• Its a communication event within aspecific environment.

• It has a specific purpose or set ofpurposes.

• These purposes shape a genre's structure,content, and style.



TONE

• Tone is about how you say or write something,or what you appear to mean by your bodylanguage. Does it seem angry, sympathetic,sarcastic/ironic, informed, professional,caring, uninterested or bored? These are all

things that can make a difference to the tone ofcommunication.



Finding the right tone

• Matching the tone of the writing to theoccasion and the audience

• Appropriate tone allows the reader toconcentrate on the content

• Writing remains a solitary sport - the writer is ultimately responsible for

developing the right content - as well asstrike the right tone!



Finding the right tone

• Two attributes that one needs to monitor - energylevels & degree of formality▫ Hot: communicates urgency and incites the reader to

act

▫ Cold: conveys less urgency & relies on the reader todiscern the seriousness of the situation by reading between the lines.

▫ Informal: dominated by everyday colloquialism,using slang of popular culture - it connects with

certain kinds of audience▫ Formal: distances the writer from the audience -

appropriate for a specific business context.



TONE

• When writing, you must choose your wordscarefully:

▫ Choice of vocabulary

▫ Length of sentences and paragraphs

▫ Use of humour

▫ Type of illustration



What’s the author's intention?

• When you are reading a passage of text, thinkabout the author's intention.

• Is the text meant to amuse, persuade, encourage,give information, warn or sympathise?

• Is it fact or opinion?

• Read carefully, looking at the types of words andphrases and the way they are used.



Jargon

• Every industry and sector has its own jargon – technical words, acronyms, abbreviations and trendy 'buzzwords'. You and your colleagues may understand it, but would acustomer? It could make them feel inadequate or evenfrightened.

• Always use simple, direct language. It is less likely to

lead to confusion or upset.



Clichés

• Clichés are expressions that are over-used. Mostpeople fall into using clichés at times, but they may

not be appropriate to use at work. Here are someexamples:▫ outside the box▫ generously proportioned▫ cutting edge

▫ fresh as a daisy▫ joined up▫ thinking safe and sound▫ take ownership▫ personal space



Show respect

• At work it’s important to remember that if youshow respect to others, they will show it to you.



TRANSACTIONAL WRITING

• Transactional writing is writing to getthings done, to inform or persuade a

particular audience to understand or dosomething.

• PURPOSE: To give form to your knowledgeand skills and communicate them to others.




• AUDIENCE: Your professor and/or otherreaders, such as peers in the profession or

general readers. EXAMPLES: Academic &scientific papers, business letters andmemos, reports, reviews, informationalarticles, brochures, etc.

• CORRECTNESS: The writing must follow theconventions your audience expects and isfamiliar with: format, conventional spelling andpunctuation and grammar, proper and style.




• EVALUATION: Transactional writing is meant to be evaluated by the audience, who will usually lookfor such elements as

clear organization and train of thought, adequate development of ideas, clear reasoning, effective engagement with and guidance of the

audience, an appropriate tone and a respectable persona

concise and coherent prose, conventional spelling, punctuation, formatting,

etc. informed use of disciplinary conventions (such

as documentation style, tables and figures, etc)



PERSUASIVE WRITING • What is persuasive writing?

• In persuasive writing, a writer takes a position FORor AGAINST an issue and writes to convince thereader to believe or do something.

• Persuasive writing is often used in advertisements toget the reader to buy a product and other types of writing to get the reader to accept a point of view.

• In order to convince the reader you need more thanopinion; you need facts or examples to back youropinion. So be sure to do the research.



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Format

• Introduction

• Body (Argument is developed)

• Conclusion



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Introduction

• The introduction has a “hook “or “grabber “tocatch the reader’s attention.

• Some “grabbers” include opening your paper with a/an:

▫ Unusual Detail▫ Strong Statement



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Introduction

▫ Quotation

▫ Anecdote (story)

▫ Statistic or Fact

▫ Question

▫ Exaggeration or Outrageous Statement• One could start with an attention grabbing focus

statement



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Thesis/Focus statement• Three objectives of a thesis statement

▫ It tells the reader the specific topic of your essay▫ It imposes manageable limits on that topic.▫ It suggests the organization of your paper.

• Through the thesis, you should say to the reader:“I’ve thought about this topic, I know what I believe about it, and I know how to organize it."



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• The Body

• The writer then provides evidence to support theopinion offered in the thesis statement in theintroduction.

• The body should consist of at least 3 paragraphs.

• Each paragraph is based on a solid reason to back your thesis statement.



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Also…

• Since almost all issues have sound arguments on both sides of the question, a good persuasive writer tries to anticipate opposing viewpoints and provide counterarguments

along with the main points in the essay. One ofthe three paragraphs should be used to discussopposing viewpoints and your counter-argument.



PERSUASIVE WRITING • Elaboration:

• Use statistics or research, real-life experiences,

or examples.• Generating Hypothetical Instance: Used

particularly when creating an argument and you want the reader to see a different point of view.

▫ Suppose that, what if… • Clarify a Position: Think about what needs to

be explained and what can be assumed.



PERSUASIVE WRITING • Elaboration:• Thinking Through a Process: Think through the

procedure from start to finish. Provide background

information a reader may need. Illustrate wheneverappropriate. Define special terms used. Use cues forthe reader.▫ First, second, next, then, etc

• Drawing Comparisons: Choose somethingsimilar to what is being explained. Use one of twopatterns: opposing or alternating. End with aconclusion. Use cues for the reader.



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Elaboration:• Making an Analysis: You can analyze a

problem by looking at the parts and thereforehelp the reader to understand.

• Drawing an Analogy : Use an analogy toexplain or elaborate an idea by identifying

significant likeness between two objects or ideas when otherwise they are quite different. This ishelpful when the comparison is made tosomething that is familiar to the reader.



PERSUASIVE WRITING

• Conclusion • A piece of persuasive writing usually ends by

summarizing the most important details of theargument and stating once again what the reader isto believe or do.

• Restate your thesis or focus statement.• Summarise the main points: The conclusion enables

your reader to recall the main points or yourposition. In order to do this you can paraphrase themain points of your argument.



PERSUASIVE WRITING • Conclusion • Write a personal comment or call for action.• You can do this:

With a prediction: This can be used with a narrative or a causeand effect discussion. The conclusion may suggest or predict whatthe results may or may not be in the situation discussed or insimilar situations.

With a question: Closing with a question lets your readers maketheir own prediction, draw their own conclusions.

With recommendations: A recommendation closing is one thatstresses the actions or remedies that should be taken. With a quotation: Since a quotation may summarize, predict,

questions, or call for action, you may use a quotation within aconclusion for nearly any kind of paper.



PERSUASIVE WRITING • Conclusion • As a general guideline, when writing a persuasive

essay… ▫ Have a firm opinion that you want your reader toaccept.

▫ Begin with a grabber or hook to get the reader’sattention.

▫ Offer evidence to support your opinion.▫ Conclude with a restatement of what you want the

reader to do or believe



Assignment:Writing Persuasive Essays 1. We shouldn't have to pay for Internet

access

2. Should the voting age be lowered tothirteen?

3. Should celebrities who break the law

face stricter penalties?4. Should the government be allowed todetain suspected terrorists withouttrial?



Thank you!

3 Right Tone & Style, Transactional & Persuasive Writing

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