To help my college writing students understand the attitude necessary to create a strong argumentative essay, I invented the “5 C’s” device, which emphasizes clarity, frankness, confidence, control and understanding.

Clarity. Be direct and straightforward in your argumentative writing. Openness results in clarity. Use your own language, clearly and precisely. Never use words that you don’t know the exact meaning of. Always avoid tortured or overloaded sentences. Don’t waste time getting straight to the point. Don’t keep your audience in suspense; suspense is for mystery novels, not argumentative essays.

Candor. Make it your mission be honest with your readers. Give readers something they can actually use in the real world: hard-earned advice, helpful facts you’ve discovered, a careful description of problems, and workable solutions to those problems. Talk to your readers about important information that less courageous writers would rather not write about.

Confidence. Stay calm and firm about the veracity of your argument. Do not ask that readers agree with you; Ironically, this approach shows a lack of confidence. Righ now readers to agree with you and congratulate them for choosing your firm side. Acknowledge opposing points of view, but refute them immediately and resolutely. Read classic writers who argue with quiet confidence, whether or not you agree with them, like Machiavelli in Princeand steal their attitudes.

Control. TO) Don’t get distracted or get out of the way. Display the power of understatement. A strong argument has more impact when it is argued naturally than when it is yelled or yelled at. Don’t quote others excessively. Always keep the first and last words of each paragraph to yourself. B) Balance the structure of your essay. Each section of the essay should have a specific role. When you fulfill that role, move on. Avoid paragraphs that are too long in general; especially avoid the first and last paragraphs that are too long. To avoid an overloaded start that simply confuses readers, avoid explaining yourself in the first paragraph. Challenge your readers to be interested in the rest of your essay beyond the beginning. Let your first paragraph state your topic and just your thesis, and quickly move on to the middle paragraphs where all of your explanation should occur.

Understanding. Whatever your topic, proactively show readers that you understand it well. Be both a helpful guide through complex issues and an informed judge when decisions need to be made. Cover your territory completely and give readers information they probably don’t know. Generously sharing useful real-world insights is the fastest way to build trust with your audience. Never forget the end goal, which is to contribute your wisdom freely and help your readers sincerely..

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