My experiences in the classroom as an English teacher and debating coach combined more recently with time online have highlighted that somewhere along the way a lot of people have lost the ability to engage in effective argument. This is apparent from several common failings that are easy to pick up as these poor unfortunates attempt to make their point.

Top 5 signs of ineffective argument.

1. Repetition – continually restating the same thing regardless of what has been said in response (suggests they have no other points or can’t counter)
2. Attacking evidence – rather than dealing with the logic of the overall opposing point they focus on the supporting material (even if they destroy evidence new evidence can be substituted to support point)
3. Subjective assertions – uses statements that are based purely on personal stand points and therefore are a matter of conjecture and perspective.
4. Lack of explanation – an inability to explain points in any detail or respond to counter points effectively.
5. Personal attacks – demonstrate either an emotionally driven perspective, frustration at the other party or hatred. While sometimes a valid response to personal topics always demonstrates a sign that the argument is lost.

Recognise your purpose

Before I explain what, a good argument looks like it is important to recognise why we engage in any form of political debate at all. Conceptually most people get this wrong and think they are attempting to change the mind of the person they are debating, which is in most cases never going to happen, in rare cases this is a bonus. Think about it, if people are passionately arguing with you about something it suggests they have well-established views for any number of reasons and are not going to be swayed, especially since they are in fact attempting to persuade others, these people are believers. This is a tricky thing to shake, even with a sound logical argument as most of us will resist admitting we are wrong no matter how stupid we might sound.

In fact, the target of your argument is the audience and not the opponent. Think about political debates in the lead up to an election, Joe Biden was never going to convince Donald Trump of anything, so what was the point. The point was to convince the voters to watch at home by presenting a better case than the opponent and therefore gain their support. While this is a ‘formally’ structured political debate any public argument works the same way whether it is in the school yard or on social media. The key isn’t to persuade the opponent, or their die hard beliefs that are drinking the cool aid but to capture the audience that are undecided and therefore build your side a bigger following that can in turn influence the overall status quo. This is why understanding the values of this audience is important as these are what an effective argument will latch onto.

How do we ‘win’ an argument?

1. Take the highroad – never get sucked into your opponent’s personal attacks, name calling or other nonsense. Going high means their aggressive tactics will stand out more. It means at times you can even call it out which means they are forced to get on the defensive and lose track of the argument itself. Obviously, this is easier said than done as the subject of the debate may be hugely personal and their viewpoint deeply offensive. However, if you don’t bite, they will often get sucked into going too far and self-destruct.
2. Deal with the argument – attack the big picture, don’t get stuck dealing with their evidence instead challenge their overall point. Show using other evidence how this point is wrong, systematically step out the logic or even weigh the point against other relevant ideas in the overall argument.
3. Address the counter points – the art of good argument is engagement so when the opponent attempts to counter your arguments we need to listen and response. Just like the steps we might take to deal with their arguments but this time we might start with echoing their rebuttal to prove that we have taken it on board and am turning it to our advantage.
4. Be prepared to give credit – in an overall debate it is not reasonable to suggest you are right about everything and the opponent might not have some valid points. Giving credit for a good point will do favour with your audience as you appear more reasonable and shows your listening. This doesn’t mean you give up the point initially as there could be some middle ground or compromise that will strengthen your overall case by making one of their key points a none issue.
5. Don’t overuse persuasive language – using different techniques to influence the audience’s emotional response is key to the way your present argument but at the same time if you use the same strategy over and over it loses its effectiveness and becomes obvious to most people. This can turn people away as they feel belittled and potentially feel your points lack substance. Additionally, if you are restrained and subtle in your approach you can also highlight more effectively an opponent ‘s use of such tactics.

Whether it is trying to win that next argument on twitter or working on a debate for school hopefully you can use these does and don’ts to win over the audience. Remember the winner isn’t the loudest in the room but the one with the most support.