University of Toronto Business Writing student, Jennifer Kanji wrote in to share a persuasive writing win:
Ellen,
A few weeks ago, I was visiting my cousin and his family; they have two young girls under the age of 7. My cousin’s wife (Stephanie) has been working from home for more than two years. She received notice her boss wanted her back in the office three days a week with two days from home. With two young children, this meant finding after-school care, hours travelling to and from work, and juggling morning drop-offs and prep work to get out the door in the mornings. Not to mention all the additional costs - child care and gas, to name a few.
Stephanie approached me with the situation and asked if I could help her write a letter to her boss asking for a permanent work-from-home arrangement. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to help her write this! Using the template from our persuasive writing assignment, I got the necessary facts from her and wrote the letter. A few weeks later, her boss told her he had escalated the request to his boss as this would affect other employees in the same role located in different regions.
She soon learned that all the employees in this role would now only be required to come to the office once a week! She could not have received a more positive response. In addition, her boss told her that the letter she wrote was very well written!
Such a great outcome! Had I not taken the Business Writing course, I am not sure I would have had the confidence to say yes to writing this letter for her. I have decided to continue my writing journey and pursue the Business Writing Certificate.
Jennifer
A great story with a positive outcome because of you Jennifer!
I didn’t see Jennifer’s note but based on the persuasive writing template, passion for what you want isn’t enough. Demonstrate you’ve done your homework and have the facts on why this makes sense for you – and your company. Anticipate the objections and deal with them.
Second, make your audience a partner in your request. Even when it’s in print, ask questions and show your willingness to be flexible. It should be a two-way conversation.
It takes courage to write that note – and you may still get a no – but you won’t know until you try.
Have a great day!
Ellen