Content: 5 steps to build your rationale

by | Mar 11, 2013 | Blogs & Blogging, Writing/How to Write

Writing Coach Margot Lester's Position-Rationale-Proof Strategy

Updated June 2023

Here's a useful strategy for communicating your ideas: The Position-Rationale-Proof Strategy™. It's especially helpful when you need to provide a lot of rationale or support. I like it because it's an easy way to create a logical framework that leans on the golden ratio of exposition to evidence.

This post was written for International Ideas Month, which is "dedicated to all ideas—large, small, great, not-so-great, past and current as well as ideas yet to come. Without constant new ideas, progress and people stagnate." 

5 steps to build a strong case

The PRP framework empowers you to create a logical case in just 5 steps:

  1. After you fill out the topic, use descriptive language to create personae for the audience (this influences details) and the writer (this informs voice).
  2. GOALS: Jot down the goals in terms of how you want your audience to respond to the content.
  3. POSITION: Tell us what you think -- that one most important thing you want people to know.
  4. RATIONALE: Explain why you think that. Explanations and examples are useful details here. You can work across to the PROOF or keep writing reasons -- whatever works best for your brain.
  5. PROOF: Deliver the proof points that support your position and rationale. What are the examples, evidence and explanations necessary to get your audience to come around to your way of thinking?

Here's one I built to endorse a candidate for local office (she won. btw!):

Endorsement-Letter-Writing-Strategy-The-Word-Factory

The PRP is also a terrific tool for writing recommendations, creating employee reviews and developing reports.

You can whip one of these out in 15 minutes or less to clarify your thinking and even share it with others to get input or approvals before you start writing (which is a real time-saver). Good luck!

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