第250页 | 300 Days of Better Writing | 阅读 ‧ 电子书库

Day 258: Separate fact from opinion.

When you express facts, you show respect for the reader. You provide information to the reader and allow the reader to decide how to interpret or use them. If the facts are valid and comprehensive, your reader will interpret them correctly—the same way you interpret them.

On the other hand, when you provide opinions, you don’t give the reader this opportunity. As importantly, when you provide opinions, not facts, you create the opportunity for the reader to discredit your authority. Consider these sentences:

“Coffee is a wonderful beverage. The caffeine helps you wake up and keeps you alert. It is a good choice for early-morning people.”

This sample has two glaring opinions: “wonderful beverage” and “good choice.” Here is the response you desire: “I trust you, so I respect your opinion.”

However, an astute reader may respond in one of three ways.

“This is only your opinion, so I don’t need to believe you.”“I disagree with your opinion, so my trust in your authority is gone.”“I have different information about this topic, so my opinion is better than yours.”

 

 

 

 

Based on this, when you provide opinions, not facts, you are more likely to lose credibility than you are to increase reader trust. To increase your authority, establish your credibility, increase the value of your writing, and persuade the reader to respond as you wish, provide facts.