You must have dealt with banks, insurance companies, government agencies, employers in companies, or even schools. If so, you must persuade someone to do or help you do something. How to write a persuasive or persuasive letter that produces results? Here are some key ideas to use in your persuasion letter.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Preparing to Write a Letter
Step 1. Stimulate good ideas
Before writing a letter, state what you want, why you want it, the reasons why it should be passed, as well as the arguments against it. Emphasizing all the ideas at hand can help you draft the letter and fully understand your position on the topic.
- Start with this: I want to persuade “my readers” to be my “goal”. Swap “my readers” for what you want to persuade, and “my goal” for what you persuade them to do.
- Once the above is clear and unequivocal, ask yourself: Why is that? List the reasons why you want your readers to do what you want.
- After mapping out the reasons, sort them by which level is more important. Put all the important details in one column, then the less important in another. This will help you narrow your reasoning down to the most relevant and prominent points of emphasis.
Step 2. Know your goals
Make sure you know exactly what you want or need. What do you want to achieve? How should this office act?
When defining goals, think about all the possible solutions you can offer
Step 3. Get to know your readers
Analyzing and understanding your readers will help you decide how to frame your letter. If possible, decide whether the reader will agree with you, disagree, or be neutral. This will help you decide how much weight to assign to each side of your argument.
- Try to find a person you can address in the letter. Who are they, what power do they have to help you? Will they just ignore your complaint? How should you greet them? Are they in senior or functional positions? Speak according to their position.
- Try to uncover readers' beliefs and biases about your topic. What kind of disputes might arise between you and your readers? How do you present a counter-argument in a respectful manner?
- Find out what readers are concerned about your topic. Do they have limited funds to spend? Are they directly affected by your topic? How much time do they have to consider your document?
- Think about the type of evidence your readers will need in an argument to persuade them.
Step 4. Research the topic
An effective persuasion letter contains evidence and factual information that supports the position. Be sure to consider multiple points of view. Don't just research your point of view; Also mention opposing opinions and the facts surrounding them.
- Use facts, logic, statistics, and anecdotal evidence to support your claims.
- Don't immediately say that the opposition is wrong. Instead, be respectful when explaining why your position is stronger and deserves attention.
Part 2 of 4: Formatting Letters
Step 1. Use block format
Business letters have a special format. If the format is neat and correct, it will not change the opinion of the readers in the slightest. However, if the format is incorrect and messy, they will make a bad impression on you and potentially be thrown away.
- Start by using double-spaced, block paragraphs.
- Left align each paragraph; in other words, don't indent paragraphs as in prose or essays.
- Leave one line space after each paragraph.
- Use a standard font, usually Times New Roman or Arial, size 12.
Step 2. Address the letterhead correctly
Start by typing your address in the top left corner. Don't put your name – write down only the street name, city, area and postal code. You may also include a telephone number and e-mail address, each on a separate line. If you live in the UK, the address must be written to the right. Complete one line.
- Type the date. Write the full date, month name, and year. Complete one line.
- “June 4, 2013”
- Write the name and address of the recipient. Try to find a specific party to send the letter to. Complete one line.
Step 3. Begin the letter with a salutation or greeting
Usually in the form of the word "Dear" followed by the name of the person addressed. Make sure you have spelled the name correctly as you typed it. The name here must be the same as the name written on the address letterhead.
- When greeting someone, use the correct title or rank (Pak/Madam/Dr./etc) followed by the last name. If you're not sure what a woman prefers to be called, just write down “Miss”.
- Always follow after this with a colon.
- Complete a line between the salutation and the first paragraph.
- "Dear Dr. Brown:"
Step 4. Close the letter with a closing statement
Think and consider the tone of your essay when choosing a closing statement. Sayings like, "Thank you," are pretty standard, while other forms like, "Greetings," are more intimate. Decide if you want your cover letter to be formal or intimate. Whichever you choose, the first word must be capitalized, while the next word is plain. Follow the closing with a comma.
- Choose the word "With respect," if you want it to be more formal. “Greetings,” “Greetings,” “Thank you,” or “Sincerely,” are standard closing remarks for business e-mails. While the words, "Greetings," "Greetings," or "See you," seem more relaxed and intimate.
- Skip the next 4 lines to leave room for your signature before typing your name.
- "Thank you,"
Part 3 of 4: Writing Letters
Step 1. Concise and concise
A persuasive letter or persuasion should be concise and polite. Busy people rarely read letters that are more than a page long or when the tone is harsh. Do not be too flowery words. Try to use clear and neat sentences. Do not present distorted and unnecessary information, including anecdotes.
- Avoid sentences that are too long. Make sure to use strong declarative sentences. Your writing should be concise, concise, to the point and easy to read.
- Don't drag paragraphs too long. Don't cram so much information that the reader loses interest, strays from the main point, or makes your point difficult to understand. Stick with relevant information, and change paragraphs whenever you want to convey a new idea or point.
Step 2. State your main point in the first few sentences
Start with a friendly opening sentence, then get to the point. State your need (the main purpose of writing the letter) in the first two sentences.
This paragraph may only consist of 2-4 sentences
Step 3. Emphasize the importance of your request in the second paragraph
In this paragraph, summarize your concern, request, or claim. At this stage you have not provided any specific reasons, support, or main points; at this stage you fully explain your position, the parameters of the concern or request, and the reasons why it is important enough to act on.
Remember to keep the body of the letter logical, polite, and factual. Avoid overly emotional language, do not demand action or speak harshly against the person or company to whom the letter is addressed, or the opposition
Step 4. Support your application in the next paragraph
The next few paragraphs should be able to justify your position by providing background and detailed information. Make sure this information is logical, factual, reasoned, practical, and legitimate. Do not base your request solely on personal emotions, beliefs, or desires. Don't bore the reader with long stories; get to the point quickly and accurately. There are several different strategies you can adopt to achieve this goal:
- Provide snippets of statistics and facts to attract readers' sympathy and logic. Make sure that the statistics and facts come from credible and respectable sources, and that you also use the data sincerely, not taking it out of context.
- Suggest quotes from experts on the topic, who support your position or refute the opposition. These experts must be respected figures in their fields and indeed have the appropriate qualifications to have an opinion on the subject under discussion.
- Present the reasons why your request should be granted. Forcing people to do what you want is not an effective persuasion technique, but if you explain why you believe something needs to be done, it can help change their minds. Explain the current situation and why it should change.
- Present the details, specifications, and limitations of your position and application. Discuss the efforts that have been made before, regarding the application, or even if there is no or lack of action about it.
- Give examples of testimonies that relate to your position. Think of other evidence that could be presented as to why your position is important.
- Remember to limit what you can and want to include in a paragraph. Make your point and situation clear. Don't go overboard with too much detail, but include all the important points. Choose only the most relevant statistics, experts and testimonies.
Step 5. Call on the opposition
One of the most effective ways of persuasion or persuasion is to appeal to the opposition. You must be able to predict any objections, objections or questions from readers, so that you can answer them in the letter. Find your common ground with the opposition, or present strong support for your own position.
- Make sure you publicly acknowledge the differences between your position and the opposition. Do not hide, because it will weaken your argument. Emphasize your shared values, experiences and problems with the opposition.
- Avoid accusatory statements. This will make the letter overly emotional and weaken your logical appeal. An overly negative and accusatory attitude will also keep the opposition from agreeing to your point.
Step 6. Close the letter by reaffirming your application
Reiterate your request or opinion at the end of the letter. This is the paragraph where you present a solution or plead for action. Tell the reader that you will follow up on this correspondence by phone, email, or in person.
- End the letter with a strong sentence that will help persuade the reader to take your side, or at least see more clearly from your point of view.
- Offer your own solutions or help. Agree to compromise, or meet in the middle. Show that you have done or are ready to handle the situation.
Part 4 of 4: Putting the Final Touches
Step 1. Check for any errors
Errors in grammar, pronunciation and spelling of words will give a bad impression. You want the reader to focus on your idea and request, not on the typo. Reread your letter several times before sending it. Read it aloud to hear what it sounds like.
If necessary, have someone check your writing for spelling errors (or use the software's spell check feature)
Step 2. Put your own signature
If you prefer to send letters by post office to e-mail, you will need to sign. It personalizes and certifies your letter.
Step 3. Provide copies of your formal letter to other key parties, if necessary
If anyone else in the target company or organization should read your letter as well, provide them with a copy. This means printing and sending more than one letter, with original signatures.
Step 4. Keep a copy for yourself
Always keep a copy of your letters for personal notes, complete with notes on when the letter was sent and to whom. Make a note of the follow-up you did until the problem was resolved.
Tips
- Stay on topic. Be careful not to add random information that is unrelated to the issue you are discussing. Stick to relevant facts and keep it simple. Use these facts to be more descriptive.
- Use bullet points in the middle of the paragraph only if you are absolutely sure and clear about the steps, actions or recommendations.
- Tailor your bullet points to the target company or organization type. Non-profit institutions have a different way of thinking from large companies.
- Write in standard written Indonesian form. This is not texting or social media; but a formal letter. The use of shorthand, slang, and emoticons can get you ignored.
- Don't treat your readers as if they owe you something and then you feel entitled to sue. Reassure them while keeping the tone of the letter friendly and professional.
