Using Evidence to Win a Persuasive Argument

Persuasion involves two people quarreling to win an argument. Just offering one's claim is never enough in itself to convince the recipient. For persuasion to truly occur, the speaker must prove his claims by using evidence. Evidence refers to materials that support and reinforce a speaker's claim. In essence, evidence is anything that the audience will find valid and truthful. Although evidence is typically viewed as 'facts and figures,' the truth is that evidence can be subjective as well (i.e. a story). The chief consideration in selecting evidence is 'what will work best with a specific audience?' For matching evidence with an audience, there are several types of materials to choose from:

Facts

Facts refer to the proven specifics of a situation, the circumstances behind it, and the observations attributed to it. We are constantly seeking out the facts behind situations that occur in life: 'What happened? When did it happen? Why did it happen?' A newspaper article, for instance, might list the facts behind a robbery that recently occurred. Many other sources can also provide us with factual evidence: books, eyewitness accounts, surveys, etc.

Figures

Numerical figures are a type of fact. Instead of gauging a situation by observations, we instead use mathematical calculations to make a quantitative measurement. The government, for instance, oftentimes conducts surveys to test the public's satisfaction with the President's performance. Afterwards, they tabulate percentages and release the results to the media: 'X percent of Americans favor President Y's performance.'

Expert Opinions

Expert opinions are educated statements made by specialists in a particular field of study or employment. If a local politician, for example, is trying to convince the city council to install a much needed stoplight at a very busy intersection, he may have a civil engineer and police officer come forth to cite their knowledge. The civil engineer would make his educated recommendation, whereas the police officer would note all the accidents that have occurred at the intersection.

Testimonials

Testimonials are observations made by common, everyday people. For instance, let's look back at the stoplight example. The politician may bring forth a few members of the neighborhood who have had bad experiences at the intersection. This would be done to show that installing a stoplight is in the best interest of all members of the community.

Stories

Stories can be a very powerful form of evidence. With a story, we can better illustrate the points that we intend to make. In regards to the intersection, the politician may tell the true story of a family that crashed and died at the intersection.

Emotions

Although we are rational creatures, we tend to rely on emotions to make many of our decisions. When marrying, for instance, it is considered improper to make the decision based on a potential spouse's financial standing or social reputation. The decision should always be based on love alone. Also, consider the decisions made about purchasing a new car. Many people choose a new car based on style and elegance versus efficiency and quality. Therefore, it can be surmised that utilizing emotions to make a persuasive argument is be a good idea. In fact, every piece of evidence should have an emotional base. Why does it matter that the intersection is unsafe? (because I could be hurt: fear) Why does it matter that a family died at the intersection? (because it is unfortunate: sadness)

Conclusion

When properly selected and used, evidence can tremendously bolster our persuasive efforts. Depending on the argument we intend to make, we can use one form of evidence (e.g. facts) or used multiple forms of evidence together (e.g. facts, figures, and stories). The key is to use enough supporting evidence to make a powerful and convincing case.