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Techniques in persuasion

How to make someone do what you want them to:

  • Tell your reader what he would like to hear.
  • Use flattery Make the reader feel sorry for you
  • Distort the facts / lie Abuse your opponents. (Keep it subtle as you don't want to appear malicious)
  • Blind the reader with science. Fancy formulas and technical terms work well.
  • Use emotive or biased vocabulary rather than straightforward words
  • Quote statistics and use them to mean what you want them to mean.
  • Use the words "surely", "obviously" and "of course".
  • Make an emotional appeal to your reader. Animals and children always appeal.
  • Link statements which don't necessarily follow on from one another: "It's pouring with rain. Therefore I deserve a new toy."