Re: Persuasive writing

[Michael Lewis <lewism -at- BRANDLE -dot- COM -dot- AU>]

Andriene elizabeth Ferguson-addei wrote:

> ... I am interested in your opinions on the use of persusasion in technical
> writing.  In particular,
>
> -- Should persuasive writing/prose be used in technical documents, and if
> so when?
>
> -- Are there particular industries/documents where persuasive writing is
> acceptable in the preparation of technical documents (e.g. to persuade the
> audience to use one product over the other)?
>
> --Is there a role for the technical writer to play in the preparation of
> marketing or advertising copy?

Much depends on your definition of "persuasion" and "technical". For
example, much marketing and advertising material for hi-tech products
includes quite detailed technical stuff. There are also issues of
persuasion in encouraging people to follow certain courses of action,
and / or avoid others, because of undesirable consequences (sometimes
undesirable for the reader, sometimes for the product manufacturer etc.)
Then, most overtly technical documents directed to product purchasers
will include material that is essentially persuasive in purpose --
extolling the ease-of-use, capability, or flexibility of the product.
However, this is not likely to happen in internal-type documents such as
specifications.

So, in short: Yes, it is sometimes used (though whether it "should" be
is a more subjective issue); most industries will provide examples of
persuasion in some document types; and tech writers often do have a part
to play in the development of marketing and advertising material.
--
Michael Lewis
Brandle Pty Limited, Sydney, Australia
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