Convincing people to agree with you on a particular topic through a persuasive essay can be an uphill task if you do not present your arguments logically and coherently. This is why you need an outline template to organize your points, ideas, and thoughts before writing the final persuasive essay. A template provides the appropriate order of the components you should include in the essay outline. It highlights where to place your thesis statement, how to introduce new arguments and support them with evidence, where to acknowledge any opposing views, and your call to action to the reader.
What This Essay Outline Template Entails
You can use this template whether you are writing a persuasive essay for academic, commercial, or advertisement use, as well as for op-ed, reviews, and research. Here is a breakdown of the significance of all the sections we have included in this template.
Introduction
The introduction of an essay should give the reader a general idea of what you will discuss, contextualize the topic, and generate interest in your arguments. To achieve this, we have included three sections under this component.
Hook – In this section, provide a compelling anecdote, relevant quote, thought-provoking question, or a surprising fact or insight, for example, a statistic that will capture the reader’s attention. A sentence or two will be enough.
Background information – When filling this section, highlight points that provide context or background on your topic. Also, jot down some points on why the topic is relevant to the particular field, society, or reader.
Thesis statement – Use this section to specify the thesis statement you want to discuss and state the action you want to take after reading your persuasive essay.
Body
The body is the core of your essay. It is needed to explain your stance and convince the reader. We have provided space in the essay outline to discuss three persuasive points that should each include the following:
Persuasive point – Clearly state the persuasive point and how it relates to the thesis statement. You can have as many points as necessary to persuade your audience.
Supporting evidence – For each persuasive statement, provide sufficient evidence to show why your thesis statement is justified. You should include scientific data to substantiate your claims. However, also use techniques like emotional appeal, authoritative tone, rhetorical questions, etc.
Acknowledgment of opposing viewpoints – Use this section to recognize any opposing views and their weaknesses to illustrate why yours is superior. Use facts and logic to dispute or refute these views.
Conclusion
A conclusion is your opportunity to bring together what you discussed in the other sections and have a final attempt at convincing the reader. This template guides you to conclude the essay by restating your thesis statement, summarizing your persuasive points, and using a CTA to spur a reaction or response from the reader.
Some pointers you should be aware of
This template is in various file formats, including Google Docs, word document (DOCX), OpenDocument (ODT), and image (PNG). Each file format has its unique capability. Therefore, you can download the format that best suits your situation. For example, if you are collaborating with a classmate to write an essay, Google Docs is most suited for remote real-time collaboration. You can download the ODT format when you want to reuse the template for future essays and retain the formatting specifications.
An outline template is simply a roadmap to guide your essay writing process and should thus be brief. Its content can be in bullet points or concise notes. This template is not rigid; you can personalize where you need to, for example, by adding more persuasive points than we have provided.
