This engaging, student-friendly introductory lesson provides the perfect foundation for a unit on persuasion, rhetoric or non-fiction writing.

Designed to introduce students to the purpose, power and everyday use of persuasion, the lesson encourages students to recognise how writers and speakers influence an audience — before moving on to more complex rhetorical techniques.

Perfect for:
A Rhetoric SOW starter lesson
A Non-Fiction Writing unit
Introducing persuasive writing
KS3 English
Year 7–9
Students who need a clear foundation before learning rhetorical devices

Students will explore:
What is persuasion?
Why do people persuade?
Where do we encounter persuasion in everyday life?
How do writers and speakers influence an audience?
The difference between informing, entertaining and persuading
How audience and purpose affect the way we communicate

The lesson uses accessible, relatable examples to make the concept of persuasion memorable, while encouraging students to begin thinking critically about the language choices they encounter in the real world.

Why use this lesson?

Rather than immediately throwing students into a list of rhetorical devices, this resource establishes the WHY behind persuasion first.

Students develop the conceptual understanding they need before progressing to techniques such as ethos, pathos, logos, rhetorical questions, repetition, emotive language and direct address.