Blogging for Change (4) – Scepticism to Conviction

This is the 4th installment of a 6 part series on blogging that brings about lasting change. Before reading on you might like to Read the introduction here.

Stage 3 – Scepticism to Conviction

Having got the attention and peaked the interest of your reader it is now time to help them come to of place of conviction. Scepticism might have set in by now and your reader might be thinking ‘this is interesting – but it doesn’t really apply to me’. This is where you need to convince them that what you are writing is personally relevant for them and that they need to take some action.

This might be the lengthiest part of your post and where you present your main argument or points. Try to keep your key points down in number and make them simple and easy to remember. Consider using lists at this stage which break down your argument into bite sized portions.

In this stage of convincing your reader it may be helpful to:
– provide evidence and facts
– begin to reveal a suggested course of action
– talk about benefits of the course of action that you are suggesting
– give some ‘How to’ points if relevant
– invite readers to begin thinking about how they might respond

You are the lawyer convincing the jury. Show them why your topic is relevant to them (reinforce the need) and show what they can do about it. Lead them to a point where they see that the need you raised earlier is a need that they themselves have and that they feel empowered to do something about it.

I find that in this stage that being personal can be useful. To share something from your own experience gives your reader a sense that they are not alone in the issue. Talk of your own conviction and encourage them to join you in a response. In this way you do not present yourself as an expert but rather as a fellow traveller inviting your readers to journey with you.

The steps in this process are:

1. Rejection to Attention
2. Indifference to Interest
3. Skepticism to Conviction
4. Procrastination to Desire
5. Fear to Commitment