Arguing is something that not everyone knows how to do, show your opinion and give examples, evidence or facts so that the other person not only understands why you think this way but why that other person should be in favor of what you say is something that It may seem easy but it is not at all.

This competence becomes fundamental not only for living in society but also for the world of work and academia . Under your arguments there must be truths, knowledge and a great capacity to be able to spin themes that lead to the fact that you want other people to be in favor.

But knowing how to argue is not limited only to having knowledge and being a good communicator, but depends on other factors, among which it stands out knowing how to adapt a speech to the context , the level of knowledge that the other person has and the feelings of whom we are addressing. .

That is why we are going to give you some tips so that you know how to argue correctly, if you want to know all the tricks, do not hesitate to continue reading this article .

Have a knowledge base

To a large extent being able to argue and win debates is based on the knowledge you have on the subject. You may have heard the phrase more than once: “If you have no idea, what are you talking about?” And this is something very true . There is nothing worse than jumping into a conversation and speaking like an expert on a topic you have no idea about . These people are easily caught and the impression they give is very unpleasant. This stigma can lead to no one taking you into account on that topic ever again, so the first advice we give you is to fully document what you plan to discuss.

Put your listeners in context

On some occasions when we want to give our point of view, it is based on past events or events , which if the majority do not know will cause your arguments to be lost since they will not be able to understand them . This is why putting the people who are listening to you in context or in a situation is an ideal way to start arguing, because you will already lay a foundation of why you think what you think about a topic.

Presents the tests from highest to lowest robustness

A good strategy to defend your point of view is to present the evidence or data from highest to lowest strength. You cannot start a debate with rumors or with facts that have not been verified since that will make your opinion seem that it is not based on solid and reliable bases, that is why you should start with verified facts and if you want to end with some anecdote or rumor on the subject, making it clear that it is not known if it is true, but that according to your point of view knowing the previous and real data, you would not be surprised if it were so.

In this way you will make others see that you are informed , that you have worked on the subject and that you know it in depth.

Choose what reasoning you are going to use

• • Deductive reasoning: This reasoning relies on generalizations to reach specific conclusions. That is, if the premises or facts that are affirmed are true, therefore, the conclusion must also be true . For example: All dogs bark, Nova is a dog, therefore Nova barks.

• Inductive reasoning: This reasoning is based on starting your arguments with specific facts and then ending up with a generalized conclusion . For example: Maria fell down those stairs, Marla too, therefore, you too will fall. This kind of reasoning is more appropriate for those who want to make predictions rather than argue.

Don’t repeat the same arguments

In the middle of your debate, you can talk about a piece of information and then mention it again later in your speech, but if you repeat it tirelessly, this will take away more than agreeing with you, since those present will see that your only argument is this while your opponent reasons you with more arguments , which in the eyes of others will win the debate.

Let speak and admit mistakes

Something very important is that you must let the other person with whom we are debating speak , without interrupting him while he is doing it, it is possible that many times before something the other person says we feel a force inside us that wants to answer him immediately, but this only It will make us look worse than the other.

On the other hand, if your opponent has said something that is verifiable and true, striving to deny it when it is something that is real will make us look like liars , it is better to recognize that something is true and add a but than to try to deny it in the event that be true.

Evita las falacias ad man

The ad hominen fallacies is something that is used a lot in politics and in everyday life. It consists essentially of criticizing the adversary for his way of being rather than for the arguments he is giving.

Criticizing our opponent based on their sex, race, sexual orientation, appearance, among others, instead of giving strength to our arguments, will help others see us as bad losers or people who do not know how to maintain our composure.

Adapt the language to the opponent’s level

It is possible that, if we have informed ourselves well about the subject that we are going to debate, we will know specialized terms , maximum exponents on the subject among other useful information. However, this should not serve to bombard those we are addressing since they may not understand us which is the worst thing to do when arguing something since that way we will not convince others.

Likewise, this can give the impression that we are taking refuge in terms that we do not know or understand at all, or that are not related to the subject, giving the feeling that we are avoiding the main point of the debate . This should not be confused with talking about topics related to the debate as this can be done.

But ultimately what we need to do is adapt our language to the people who are going to listen to us or to our opponent .