When she heard her state legislature was considering drastically cutting funding for her local elementary school, Annie, a longtime member of Delta Kappa Gamma, was upset. She knew how much good work was being done for the high-needs students at the school, and knew sufficient funding was desperately needed to help those students flourish. She wanted to advocate for more sufficient funding for the school, but she was unsure about her writing skills and trying to do an opinion piece for the newspaper.
Not hopeless, Annie. Here are some quick tips and a simple framework for communicating effectively in writing about an important topic.
Learning to write for advocacy is an important tool for members who wish to share their thoughts and opinions on educational issues. Some might argue that opportunities to publish opinion pieces in today’s world are limited, so why bother? However, these publishing opportunities may actually be wider in today’s “connected” world when considering blogs, websites, newsletters, newspapers, and DKG publications. Your work may be welcome among many sites and publishers, so try.
Here is a simple frame for writing an opinion piece:
1. Start with a hook. This is a quick, effective to bring in your reader. Try a startling statistic, a description, a rhetorical question, or a short anecdote.
2. State your main point (thesis).
3. Make a concession, which is briefly mentioning the strongest point your opponent (or opposing view) might make. Then, using the word “However,” restate your thesis.
4. Make three succinct points that support your argument. You may have more points, but choose your three strongest. Use facts whenever possible to support your points.
5. Conclude your piece by suggesting a course of action and restating your thesis. If possible, “circle” your writing back to your hook to pull the piece together.
Follow these other tips to be successful with your advocacy writing:
- Write on a topic about which you are passionate.
- Do research and gather accurate facts to support your ideas and opinion.
- Be brief and concise.
- Follow publication and website word limits and deadlines.
- Ask a few others to proofread your copy before submission.
- Appreciate edits.
- Once your piece is published, spread the word and the links through social media, DKG friends, and others.
Hopefully, this piece will encourage you to consider writing your own advocacy piece. Your voice and perspective MATTER, and this simple framework can help you effectively communicate on behalf of educators and our students.
Annie followed these simple suggestions, as well as the framework above, and wrote a powerful piece supporting the elementary school that was published by her town newspaper. Her local legislator contacted her and asked for more information to support the school. Good work!
* If you look carefully, this piece was written using the basic framework described above, with a few modifications on the number of points presented.
(Remember: Whether the advocacy efforts are written or spoken, they should be done as an individual and not as a representative of DKG. No mention of the DKG organization or chapter affiliation should be included in the writing or speeches.)
