How to argue well and win debates: 10 very useful strategies

Several tips from experts to master the art of dialectics.

Arguing, i.e. defending beliefs or opinions more or less convincingly, is certainly common in social interaction.

In all kinds of contexts and settings, such as the media, scientific forums, chats with friends or even parliamentary speeches, debates are frequently generated in which reasons are given and requested to defend a specific action or position.

That is why it is so important to know how to argue correctly because, in addition to being an everyday action, it is necessary to know how to explain one's point of view, it is necessary to know how to explain one's own point of view in an infinite number of situationsIn which, if we manage to convince others, it can imply benefits for us.

• Recommended article: "The 10 types of arguments to use in debates and discussions".

Let's take a closer look at the importance of knowing how to argue well, as well as learning how to do it in the most correct way.

The importance of knowing how to argue

Arguing is a very common action in the life of society.. This type of action takes on a very important role when relating to other people, given that, it could be said, that every time you talk to someone, at some point or another in the conversation you will say something whose objective is not merely to inform, but also to make the other person agree with what you have said.

For example, when you are out on the street with your friends, the question may arise as to which is the best restaurant to go to for dinner. Although this situation may be considered banal, the member of the group who can best explain why they should go to their favorite restaurant can not only influence the decisions of the rest of their colleagues, but also acquire a role of certain dominance over them.

Knowing how to argue well becomes extremely necessary when talking about the world of work and the academic environment. To say that more and more companies and universities value the ability to argue as a requirement is a lie, because it has practically always been considered a necessary skill both in the workplace and in academia.

For example, a student who conducts research but does not know how to defend it properly in his or her final degree project runs the risk of getting a bad grade. On the other hand, the car salesman who does not know how to convince the customer to buy the latest car on the market risks losing his job.

But knowing how to argue is not just a matter of knowing how to say what you think about a particular subject or how to exert some kind of influence on who you are addressing.. It is not merely an oral or written task. A person who knows how to argue well is not only a good communicator. He is also one who takes into account the context in which the communicative action takes place, thinks about the level and feelings of the audience he is speaking to, empathizing to a greater or lesser extent with them. He also takes into account the behavior of other people, whether or not they are opponents in the debate, knowing whether they agree or disagree with what has been said.

Tips on how to argue correctly

Having understood the importance of knowing how to argue well, let's look at some guidelines to make the argumentative action successful.

1. Prepare well

The ability to know how to argue can be improved through practice, but, to do so, it is very necessary to document oneself in depth on the topic one wants to talk about..

Whatever your opinion on the subject of the debate, it makes little sense to defend it without first having seen the related facts.

Nowadays many people give their opinions without knowing what they are talking about and, although they are convinced that they are right, when they try to argue their beliefs the only thing they end up doing is making a fool of themselves by demonstrating their complete ignorance on the subject.

Avoiding this mistake is as simple as turning to reliable sources of information that, through objective data, expert opinion and scientific knowledge of the subject, will allow us to make our position more solid.

2. Presenting the argument

Starting with an explanation of what you are going to argue is a very good way to begin the debate or speech.

This introduction will include the premise or thesis, allowing the audience to get a general idea of the argument.This introduction will allow the audience to get a general idea of what you are going to talk about and the position you are going to defend.

In essence, this introduction is a summary of what you have learned through your own research.

3. Presenting the evidence from strongest to weakest

A good strategy for defending one's own point of view is to show the data in terms of their degree of robustnesspreferring to go from more to less.

First, we start with the most convincing evidence, with the intention of generating support for our position in the audience from the very beginning.

Progressively, we present the weaker aspects of our point of view, although this is no longer of great importance to the audience, since we have already succeeded in gaining their support.

4. Decide on the type of reasoning used

It is very important that, on the way to the final conclusion during the debate, you choose the way in which you will rationally defend your point of view.

You can choose deductive reasoningwhich starts from generalizations to arrive at a specific conclusion. Using this type of reasoning, if the premises from which one starts are true, then the conclusion would also have to be true. For example:

'All plants need water. Ficus trees are plants. Ficus trees need water.'

On the other hand, one can also make use of inductive reasoning, with which one starts with the more specific aspects, arriving at a more general conclusion later on.which starts with the most specific aspects and arrives at a more general conclusion later on. For example:

'Maria ate chocolate and it felt bad for her. Paula ate chocolate and it made her feel bad. So, chocolate will make you feel bad.'

In inductive thinking, if the premises are true, the conclusion may or may not be true. This type of reasoning is used in cases where predictions rather than arguments are required.

5. Do not repeat yourself more than necessary

One does not argue better by repeating the same thing over and over againNor is it better to extend it with a stream of words that only makes the audience dizzy.

If the speech or manifesto is excessively long, the chances of making mistakes and getting bored increase.

6. Strive to understand your opponent

If you are in an oral debate or any other such situation, you should make an effort to try to understand your opponent's position.

This does not mean that you should support the other's position, of course, but you should try to see the points they have you should try to see what points they have explained and what sources they are relying on..

Once you understand the other's point of view, it is easier to defend your own position more successfully, especially because you avoid misunderstandings and arguing about aspects that the other side has not really said.

It is very common in debates that situations occur in which, while a person makes a criticism about what the opponent has explained, the opponent jumps in saying something like 'I did not say this' and, finally, it turns out that he obviously did not say such a thing, which means that all the criticism made collapses like a house of cards.

7. Letting people talk and admitting mistakes

Especially in oral debates, it is very important to let the other side explain itself, without interrupting while doing so.

It is also very important that, if the other side has told a solid and demonstrable truth, it is accepted.

Denying the facts, besides being synonymous with lying, may be perceived as stubbornness and may harm rather than benefit one's own position, since it may cause the public, upon seeing that one of the facts we have exposed is false, the rest also runs the risk of being false and we could be denying it.

Denying the facts when we have seen that they are what they are can be perceived as stubbornness and not accepting reality.. This is detrimental to one's own position, since it may give the impression that the rest of the data we have obtained could either be false or we have not been able to see how they really were.

To make matters worse, the discussion may reach a point where it becomes difficult or impossible to continue, with one side having stated a true fact while the other refuses to believe it.

8. A sense of humor in the right measure

It may seem obvious, but, although humor can be a good argumentative tool, it must be used at the right time..

Jokes, especially in a relaxed context and when talking about everyday matters, are fine. They are not so good when talking about more serious topics such as climate change, feminism, political prisoners or genocide.

To know if it is really appropriate to make a joke about the topic you are talking about, it is as simple as having a minimum of empathy and putting yourself in the place of the person to whom it is addressed or with whom the humor is made.

9. Avoid ad hominem fallacies

The ad hominem fallacy, Latin for 'against the man', is a type of (mis)argument used very frequently both in mundane debates and in those where there should be a higher level, such as in politics.

It basically consists of criticizing the adversary for the way he is rather than for the arguments or data he has put forward. or data that he or she has presented.

Criticizing a person based on his or her sex, race, sexual orientation, appearance, among others, instead of giving solidity to one's own arguments, will contribute to the public seeing us as bad losers or people who do not know how to keep our composure.

• We recommend you to read: "The 10 types of logical and argumentative fallacies".

10. Adapt the language to the opponent's level

If you have done a thorough search for information on the topic to be debated, it is very likely that you are familiar with the terms you use, it is very likely that you will know specialized terms, great authors of reference, among other very useful information..

However, you should not bombard the person you are arguing with a lot of words in order to show how much you know about the subject.

This can lead to a number of drawbacks that certainly do not help in convincing others of your position.

It can be perceived that one takes refuge in having memorized a lot of words without knowing how to use them or relate them to the main objective of the intervention, which is to argue one's own position.

You may also get the feeling that you are beating around the bush, moving away from the main point of the debate. You can talk about issues related to the main topic of the debate, but you should keep in mind what the point of reference is.

On the other hand, and to make sure that the opponent understands us clearly, it is appropriate to adapt the language used to his or her level. Not in a paternalistic act, but rather with the intention that he does not misunderstand what we are telling him or that misunderstandings occur.

Bibliographical references:

• Anscombre, J. C. and Ducrot, O.: (1991) La argumentación en la lengua. Gredos, Madrid.
• Grice, H. P.: (1989). Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
• Johnson, R. H.: (2000). Manifest Rationality: A Pragmatic Theory of Argument. Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Mahwah.
• Vega, L.: (2003). Si de Argumentar se Trata. Montesinos, Barcelona