Here is an opening activity that I use at the beginning of my workshop on persuasion. This opener involves supplying the participants with copies of a checklist for writing a persuasive essay.
Synopsis
During the first round, the participants independently write a short essay suggesting that the ensuing training session be canceled. During the second round, teams of participants use a job aid to jointly revise a randomly selected essay. During the third round, the teams rewrite the essay to make it more persuasive.
Purpose
To write, evaluate, and revise a persuasive essay.
Participants
Minimum: 4
Maximum: 30
Best: 12 to 30
Time
30 to 60 minutes
Handout
Job aid: How To Write Persuasively
Supplies
Paper and pencil
Timer
Whistle
Equipment
Copying machine
Flow
Announce a writing assignment. Ask the participants to work independently to write a short essay (of less than a page) on why your training session should be canceled. Announce a time limit of 10 minutes to complete this essay.
Organize teams. At the end of 10 minutes, ask the participants to stop writing. Explain it does not matter if the essay is not completed. If the participants are seated around tables, each table becomes a team. Move a few people around so the teams have about the same number of members. Organize two to six teams, each with two to five members.
Collect the essays. Collect all the essays from each table. Keep of essays from each table as a separate set.
Distribute the job aid. Give a copy of How To Write Persuasively to each participant. Ask the participants to study the handout and think about the items they violated while writing their essays.
Make copies of randomly selected essays. While participants are studying the handout, randomly select one essay from each table-set and make enough photocopies for distribution to the members of the next table.
Conduct a critique session. Give copies of the essay from each table to the participants of the next table. Ask the team members at each table to work jointly to read and evaluate the essay, using the items from the job aid. Encourage the participants to mark up the essay with suitable editorial suggestions
Revise the essays. Thank the teams for their editorial work. Return the marked copy of the essay to the team it came from. Now ask each team to jointly rewrite the essay using the editorial suggestions. Announce another 10-minute time limit.
Collect revised essays. After 10 minutes, collect the marked-up copy of the essay and the revised essay from each table. Proceed to other sessions of your persuasion workshop.
Adjustment
No copying machine? Give the original copy of a randomly selected essay from each table to the participants at the next table. Ask them to mark up the copy with their editorial suggestions for making the essay more persuasive. Later, ask participants to work from this marked-up copy to rewrite the essay.
Handout
How To Write Persuasively
Summarize your persuasive message in an easy-to-remember sentence. Insert this sentence at the beginning or end of your essay.
Brainstorm an extensive list of reasons in support of your message. Choose a few strong reasons that will appeal to your readers.
Present the selected reasons with supporting information that will persuade the readers to agree with you.
Use a combination of personal and factual information to present your message.
Think about probable objections that your readers may have.
Establish a common ground between you and the people who may oppose your message.
State the other side’s arguments. Acknowledge they are reasonable--but your arguments are more reasonable.
Begin with an attention-getting paragraph.
Briefly explain why people should listen to your message.
Establish that you are a credible and trustworthy person.
Use a conversational tone that speaks to your readers.
Organize your writing in a logical manner.
Use language that appeals to the readers’ emotions.
Use many short paragraphs, each with a side heading.
End in an interesting way, restating your message and calling for action.