Now that you have the attention of the audience (they see that you have similar values to them, that you have practical wisdom in this subject, and that you have their interest in mind), it’s time to get down to the core of your persuasion and show them the logic of your argument.
Since the subject is business, you are persuading your audience to enter into an economic relationship with you. You are asking them to change their mind and to change their willingness to act. Your logic needs to show how the choice you want them to make is advantageous to them, how it delivers the biggest return on their investment of resources and requires the least amount of change in how they work.
We are not talking about formal logic here, the logic of philosophy and science where the participants are pursuing Truth. Why don’t we use formal logic? One reason is that in most cases we don’t have the evidence to prove our case in the way that a philosopher or scientist does. And partly because even if we could, the audience would not necessarily find that persuasive.
The logic of rhetoric is an informal logic. You make an assertion and follow it with a conclusion. You begin with a premise that the audience can agree with and link it to the choice you want them to make.
Women find men attractive who drive sporty automobiles. Buy this sports car and you’ll get the attention you want.
Companies that deploy internet-based order entry applications experience significant ROI. Get the cost savings and productivity improvements with our new application.
But where do you start your logical argument? What is the premise? It always starts with the audience and where they are: their attitudes, beliefs, and opinions. Then you can move the audience from where they are now to the conclusion you want them to draw, to the action you want them to take.
When your argument asks the audience to make a choice or to take an action, you must convince the audience that the choice is advantageous to them. The decision to act belongs to the audience, but the burden of proof is on you. To make your proof persuasive, start with something your audience believes or wants.
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About David Crankshaw
[...] DEDUCTION – argument by applying a general principle to a specific situation. [...]