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Can You Convince Me?
The Art of Informal Debate
C. J. Quinones, 2009
What is Informal Debate?
A debate is a contest, or, perhaps, like a game, where two or more speakers present their arguments intent on persuading one another.
Informal debate can happen anywhere.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Argument vs. Debate
Debate or debating is a formal method of interactive and representational argument.
In logic, an argument is a set of one or more meaningful declarative
sentences (or "propositions") along with another meaningful declarative sentence known as the premise, (or "proposition") known as the conclusion.
Premises and conclusions are either true or false.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Forms of Argument
Deductive asserts that the truth of the conclusion is a logical
consequence of the premises.
Inductive asserts that the truth of the conclusion is supported
by the premises.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Deductive Arguments
• A deductive argument is one in which it is impossible for the premises to be true but the conclusion false.
It can be valid or invalid An argument is valid if and only if:
the truth of the conclusion is a logical consequence of the premises and (consequently) its corresponding conditional is a necessary truth.
It can be sound or unsound A sound argument is a valid argument with true premises.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Example
1. All men are mortal. (premise)
2. Socrates was a man. (premise)
3. Socrates was mortal. (conclusion)
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Inductive Arguments
An inductive argument is one in which the premises are supposed to support the conclusion in such a way that if the premises are true, it is improbable that the conclusion would be false.
Thus, the conclusion follows probably from the premises and inferences.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Example
1. Socrates was Greek. (premise)
2. Most Greeks eat fish. (premise)
3. Socrates ate fish. (conclusion)
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Logical Fallacies
Fallacies are defects in an argument that cause it to be invalid, unsound, or weak.
In a deductive argument, the existence of a fallacy means that the argument
is not valid - even if the premises are true, the conclusion might still be false.
A fallacy does not guarantee it is false; a fallacious argument fails to provide a good reason
to believe the conclusion, even if that conclusion is correct.
How to Win Informal Arguments and Debates
1. Decide on a position and become well-informed.
2. Find someone to debate with.
3. Begin by stating a thesis.
4. Respond to objections.
5. Build on your opponent’s objections.
6. Attempt to resolve each point before moving ahead.
7. Remain calm, rational and reasonable.
8. Have patience.
9. Use effective speech and grammar.
10. Ask questions.
11. Be willing to lose.
12. Don’t take too much pride in being right.
http://www.wikihow.com C. J. Quinones, 2009
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
1) Enter their world
a) Try to understand the situation from their point of view.
b) Ask yourself if you are them, what would you do? What would be your opinion?
i. Take the appropriate action that would be beneficial to them.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
2) Mirror Their Body Languagea) People feel comfortable with those who are like
them.
b) Observing how they act, how they speak, and how they think is called mirroring.
a) If they rub their forehead while they think, act like them.
b) If they speak at a clear and slow pace, try to do the same thing.
c) Proceed with caution--do not let them be aware that you are copying them.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
3) Be Cheerful and Nicea) People like others who brighten up their
day.b) Make a sincere compliment to raise their
spirits.i. Little things like these go a long way to
breaking the ice and setting the relationship off to a good start.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
4) Be Sincere and Trustworthya) Make them feel that whenever they need
help or just someone to look up to, you’ll always be there to lend a hand.
b) People tend to be more receptive to those they trust.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
5) Provide Them with Compelling Evidencea) Explain to them how your ideas or
suggestions could be the most effective techniques to implement.
b) Show them undeniable proof by way of testimonials, before and after scenarios, and detailed comparisons against the opposing side.
c) Just make sure that all your claims are true and verifiable.
d) Always maintain a good reputation.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
6) Show Them What’s In It for Thema) People are self-centered. They tend to put
their own well-being before others.
b) No matter how close you are to becoming like them or how overwhelming your evidence is, if it does not satisfy the "What’s In It For Me?" test, your persuasion efforts will not produce satisfactory results.
c) If you can prove that your proposal will provide more advantageous benefits to them than to you, they are more likely to accept it.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
7) Genuinely Care For Thema) Focus more on their interests, desires,
needs, and expectations, so you can satisfy their craving for attention, and establish mutual trust and respect.
b) It shows that you really care about them and that will make them more likely to trust you and want to work with you.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
7 Tips to Successfully Persuade Anyone(By Priya Shah)
1. Enter their world
2. Mirror their body language
3. Be cheerful and nice
4. Be sincere and trustworthy
5. Provide them with compelling evidence
6. Show them what’s in it for them
7. Genuinely care for them
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Now You Try!
1. Select several campus issues that are currently hot.
2. Divide into smaller groups to discuss the issue.
3. Each person in the group should represent a different opinion or view. (The object is to persuade the others to side with you.)
4. If necessary, the position you will take will be provided.
5. Try to use the tips provided as a guide.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Now You Try!
1. You will be provided a task to role-play in pairs.
2. You will be provided a little time to think but then you must perform for your peers.
3. You will receive feedback.
C. J. Quinones, 2009
Now You Try!
Find a short news article from cnn.com or nytimes.com on an issue you are interested in. Become informed.
Take a position and discuss it with a partner. If they agree, find a partner who may not feel exactly the same on the issue.
We will rotate. After each rotation, you will fill out a card about how convincing each person was.