What each part of the prompt does
- Their view first
- Step 1 starts from the reader's current position. Persuasion fails most often when the writer argues against a view the reader does not hold.
- Their interests, not yours
- The lead argument is chosen by what the decision maker cares about. A council member may move on liability or cost long before they move on fairness.
- Concrete opening
- A named street, a dated incident or a single family's situation earns attention that a sentence about society in general does not.
- Evidence you can defend
- Ruling out invented numbers protects your credibility. One unsupported statistic in a letter to an official can sink the rest of the case.
Variations to try
Same idea, one thing changed.
Internal proposal at work Write a persuasive piece that moves one specific reader to one specific action, using only arguments I can stand behind. Inputs: - The issue: [ISSUE] - Who must be persuaded and what they care about: [DECISION MAKER] - The action I want them to take: [ACTION] - Facts, examples and numbers I can vouch for: [EVIDENCE] - Format and length: [FORMAT] Steps: 1. Summarise, in two sentences, the reader's likely current view and their main reason for holding it. 2. Choose the one argument most likely to move this reader, judged by their interests rather than mine. List two supporting arguments in order of strength. 3. Open with a concrete scene, case or local detail, not a general statement about the issue. 4. Present the arguments with the evidence given. Name the strongest objection and answer it fairly. 5. Close by asking for the action plainly, with a small first step, its cost in time or money, and how we will know after a month whether it worked. 6. Do not add statistics, quotes or studies I have not supplied. Mark a missing figure as [figure needed]. Format: - A headline or subject line. - The piece at the requested length, in short paragraphs. - A note listing every claim that depends on my evidence, so I can double-check it before sending. Quality check: Reread the piece as the decision maker. Cut any sentence that would make them defensive without helping the case.
Two-minute public comment Write a persuasive piece that moves one specific reader to one specific action, using only arguments I can stand behind. Inputs: - The issue: [ISSUE] - Who must be persuaded and what they care about: [DECISION MAKER] - The action I want them to take: [ACTION] - Facts, examples and numbers I can vouch for: [EVIDENCE] - Format and length: [FORMAT] Steps: 1. Summarise, in two sentences, the reader's likely current view and their main reason for holding it. 2. Choose the one argument most likely to move this reader, judged by their interests rather than mine. List two supporting arguments in order of strength. 3. Open with a concrete scene, case or local detail, not a general statement about the issue. 4. Present the arguments with the evidence given. Name the strongest objection and answer it fairly. 5. Close by asking for the action plainly, with what happens next if they say yes. 6. Do not add statistics, quotes or studies I have not supplied. Mark a missing figure as [figure needed]. Format: - A headline or subject line. - A spoken version that takes under two minutes to read aloud, with short sentences and the request stated at the start and again at the end. - A note listing every claim that depends on my evidence, so I can double-check it before sending. Quality check: Reread the piece as the decision maker. Cut any sentence that would make them defensive without helping the case.
If the result isn't right
- Write [DECISION MAKER] in detail; "a councillor who campaigned on lower rates" produces a different letter from "the council".
- Bring one local, checkable example to [EVIDENCE]; it does more than national figures the reader has already heard.
- If the draft sounds angry, ask for "the same argument in the tone of a neighbour, not a protester".
- Send it from your own address with your name; anonymous persuasion rarely works on people who answer to voters.