Top Priorities

       In an argument, I take into pretty high account the author, their background and their previous statements/ beliefs.  I will normally not waste my time reading an article written by someone whose views I don’t agree with.  Once I have some background knowledge on the author, I look for the straight facts in their argument.  It is essential for the writer to provide the reader with facts that will not only provide reliable information, but will also tug at the reader’s emotions.   This is important in persuasion because usually no one will change their mind strictly based on the facts the author shares.  

  

       When using emotions though, it is hard to please everyone.  People will always have different reactions to different situations, based on their childhood, life experience and beliefs.  So, when the author uses emotions, they should use them in a way that serves as reinforcement to the facts they present.   I personally empathize more with an author when they do use emotion to help enhance their argument because as a human being, naturally I feel sympathy.  It is a lot easier to convince me to side with them when I have some type of an emotional connection to the argument. Along with the facts and emotions they express, the author must logically make sense, which I think is a given.  Majority of people will not even give an argument a second glance if the author’s logic is faulty. 

  

       In order for the author to even possibly persuade me to side with their views, I must be able to trust them and their credentials, they must provide accurate facts, have some degree of emotion within their argument and their logic must make sense.