Write an essay with basic components such as an introduction, body and conclusion. Use a five-paragraph essay, or an essay with one introduction, three body and one conclusion paragraph, unless you need more to space to start, continue or end your argument. Within your introduction, include a thesis statement, or a statement that communicates what you will discuss within your essay. Your introduction should also introduce your topic and give readers a sense of which side you are arguing for or against within your essay. Within the body section of your paper, present the main topics of your essay in the descending order of importance. Conclude your essay with a restatement of your argument and the presentation of what the reader should take from your paper.
Use facts and figures to help argue for or against your issue. Choose statistics that tie directly into your main topics and are likely to get your audience's attention but do not use too many numbers. If you rely too much on statistics, your audience will likely become bored with your paper. Use statistics that either come from your own surveys or experiments or from reputable sources, such as non-profit or governmental organizations or experts. Provide a mixture of historical and current facts on your topic, explaining different ideas in detail to give readers a better understanding of how facts fit within the context of your argument.
Place anecdotes, or stories, within the introduction or body of your paper if they relate directly to your argument. Either use a personal story from your life or someone's else's, including the most powerful details from the story. Don't include the whole story because you don't want your essay to get too long. Present the story truthfully, including positive and negative details to give your readers a full picture.
Present the opposing side's view to give more credibility to your argument. Give your audience a sense of how someone from the other side of the issue would argue and what facts he would use. Go on to show, through your facts and statistics, why your position is better.