Introductions and Topic Exploration

QUESTION

Week 1 – Discussion

Introductions and Topic Exploration

Step 1: Tell us about yourself

• When have you tried to persuade others and failed? What happened? Why do you think you were unsuccessful?

Step 2: Complete webtext.

• Tell your classmates and professor what two essay topics you are most interested in writing about, this quarter.
• Tell us a little bit about each topic, and why you think it would be a good choice for a persuasive essay.

– Each topic needs to be focused rather than a broad, general category. It should be something that interests you, since you’ll be spending the next ten weeks with it!

– It also needs to be something debatable—something that people hold a lot of different views on. You’re not just informing people about a topic in this course; you’re trying to persuade them to see things your way.

ANSWER

Introductions and Topic Exploration

Step 1

About a year ago, I was speaking with a group of colleagues about a business idea that I had. The business idea was to start providing foodstuffs to students in school. I was trying to convince them to support me with finances and information about how my idea could be improved to become a business that would make huge profits in a few months. I was able to speak to them about the idea and my plans. However, they did not agree to support me in the actualization of the idea. I was not able to convince them that the idea would profit and that they would get a return of their investment (in terms of finances and time) in a few months. Despite having explained my idea and trying to persuade my friends to join me, I was not quite convincing, and none of them bought the business idea. I think I failed in communicating effectively to my friends since two of them said that I did not seem serious about the idea and that I was not confident.

Step 2: Topics

Technology: Social Media

Social media has risen in the recent past to become one of the fastest growing technology areas in the world. Social media has various applications today, including being a method of communication and as a tool for marketing. Studying the various opportunities that social media platforms provide for businesspeople would be a great way of assisting upcoming entrepreneurs and people studying marketing.

Health care services: Government Spending

One of the most sensitive topics in a country is health care provision. Health care provision is crucial for the economic and social development of a nation. A major issue with the provision of health care is the high cost of medicine, surgery, and other medical inputs. This topic would investigate the level of government spending that would ensure that health care services are affordable for all people.