Writing Your Thoughts, The Carrot and Stick Strategy

When you are writing, having a strategy in mind is rather useful, especially when you are wanting your reader to commit to something or someone. You will want to lead the reader in the direction you intend to finish upon and don't want to cause confusion and misdirection in your writing. Here are a few tips on the carrot and stick strategy of writing that is good to use in a time of need.

I firmly believe in a process that I have named the carrot and stick process. I have seen that it can prove quite effective in a few situations. The process is simple: these five components should be present in all attempts to convince your readers:

1. A clear account of the reader's predicament.

2. A clear account of the outcomes in case the reader does not solve the problem.

3. A clear account of the solution you propose to this problem.

4. A clear account of the advantages that solving the problem has to the reader.

5. A clear demand for a particular action; e.g. "Please sign on the copy and submit this application".

1. The Reader's Predicament
If you have to wake up a sleeping teenager instantly, just telling them to get up might not always work. Pointing out to them that the reason you are trying to wake them up is that their house is on fire is much more likely to wake them up faster. Why? The first time round the kid thought that it was just an annoying instruction to follow. The second time, though, points to a problem: their problem. So, if you want to convince someone to do anything, the first part of the carrot and stick process is to persuade the person that they have a problem which needs to be resolved.

2. The Consequences of Not Solving the Problem
Having informed your reader (in whichever depth you feel is necessary) that they seem to have a problem, the next step in our carrot and stick process is to emphasize the seriousness of the consequences that await them if they do not act in a timely fashion.

3. The Solution You Propose
Now that you've got your client's complete attention, he or she should be reasonably receptive and eager to listen. So you talk to them and tell them how you are going to solve the problem they face.

4. How Your Solution Will Help The Reader
Now that you have put forth your proposal about how you are going to solve the issue at hand, you now bring out and dangle the proverbial carrot we have been talking about by waxing lyrical about how this solution will benefit and help the reader. Here, you must remember to accurately describe all of the positive attributes of your solution, be it financial, natural, sales based, social, I.T. - anything and everything you can think of.

So, are you beginning to see what we have managed to do in the first four steps of the carrot and stick process? We have successfully established a problem, elaborated on a solution to that problem, and then mentioned how that particular idea will benefit the reader. You will soon see that the carrot and stick process is a very effective method of convincing readers to say yes.

5. The Final Request For Action
A lot of ads tend to use phrases like "Call us now! Just Do It!" and "Special Offer!". You will see many used-car salesmen use phrases like "This is a one-time offer just for today". All these are nothing but examples of closers: closers are lines which want you to act immediately on a particular proposal which lays in front of you.

The final part of the carrot and stick process is to close your case with a particular request for an action. After all, you have put your case in front of your reader, and the reader is already primed for action. All you need is a gentle push (or a shove) in the right direction!

Additionally, you should always have your work checked by a professional editor, to make sure that your work is being read in the way you intend it. Also, you will need to ensure that your work is mistake free as this usually puts off the reader from reading further.

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