Nib #28 — Don’t “Tell Them What You Just Told Them”
One of the few persuasive writing lessons most Americans still learn in school is wrong. It’s the old chestnut about how to organize an essay, speech, or presentation:
“Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you just told them.”
The first part is mostly right. A thesis statement early in a speech or essay shows respect for the audience. The second part needn’t even be said: yes, the body of an argument should make the argument.
It’s in the third part — “Tell them what you just told them” — where this old saw stops cutting. Persuasive arguments should not end with summaries. They should end with conclusions.
What’s the difference?
A summary is an brief encapsulation of an argument. A conclusion, on the other hand, asserts a new insight, obligation, or call-to-action that follows from the proving of one’s thesis. It should answer the question, “So what?”
Think of lawyers’ closing statements at the end of a trial. They don’t just run back through the testimony and evidence and call it a day. No, they close with, “And therefore, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you must acquit/convict.”
In the same way, a memo identifying some new business opportunity should end with some recommended action: buy advertising on a certain platform; spinoff a division of the company; develop a new product.
The same principle applies to any piece of persuasive writing. The reason we go to the trouble of convincing an audience is to get them to do something. Vote for this candidate. Donate to this charity. Hire that real estate agent. Drink this or that soft drink.
Closing your argument with a summary instead of a conclusion squanders the opportunity to improve the world that a successful argument wins you. So no, don’t “tell them what you just told them.” Instead, tell them why what you just told them matters.
Until next week… keep writing!
