How to argue well: Top 10 tips

Arguing is an essential part of modern life - whether you are at work, school, home, or socializing, the ability to put your own points across effectively and challenge those of others is often very important. There are a number of methods and techniques that people who know how to argue well use in debates and learning these methods can improve your abilities considerably. Essentially, you need to be prepared for the argument in advance, if possible, and always remain polite, firm and persistent. In more detail, here are my top 10 tips regarding how to argue well.

1. Understand in advance what you are arguing in favor of and what you hope to achieve out of it. If you are arguing with a hotel that you have been wrongly charged for a service, then the outcome you want is clear: you want the wrong charge to be taken off your hotel bill. If you are arguing that football is a better sport than basketball, however, the winner of the argument may be difficult, or even impossible to assess. Sometimes arguments aren’t even about winning or losing, rather they are about using a debate to try to discover the truth about something.
2. Work out as much information and evidence as you can that supports your argument in advance. In some cases you may require the use of specific pieces of evidence such as photographs, reports, or testimonies.
3. Try to work out what your opponent might say in advance. That way, you can spend some time thinking up your counterarguments, rather than having to do it on the spot. If you are unsure what kinds of thing that your opponent might argue, try researching around your topic by reading books and searching online – it is as important to understand the arguments against what your proposing, as the ones in favor if you want to argue well.
4. If there is an audience for your argument or debate, you should consider them too. It is important to present your argument in the best way possible, considering how to phrase your argument and using language that is appropriate – you should explain your case at the appropriate level of detail and complexity, but also try to be easy to understand. If your argument is spoken, you should speak in a bold, clear voice. If it is written, you should pay attention to things like spelling and grammar, as well as the content, as this will give a good impression to the reader.
5. Listen carefully to your opponent when it is their turn to speak. Take a notepad and pen and write down notes of the points that they raise – after they’ve finished speaking, give them your counterarguments.
6. You should always try to be polite when arguing. Never allow yourself to become rude or uncivil.
7. Try to remain calm and rational in your approach. Some arguers will try to get you to lose your cool, in order to undermine you, don’t allow them to get away with it.
8. Always stick to your argument and if your opponent struggles to give an adequate answer to any of the points that you raise, press them further. Don’t back down until you have effectively made your point and don’t veer off-topic.
9. Be firm, this means that you should not prevaricate, or become flustered, especially when your opponent tries to knock down your argument - instead you should try to be confident and direct in your approach.
10. Accept that you might not always win. Unfortunately, you may argue your case in the best way possible and still lose the debate. Even the best arguers, whether they be lawyers, politicians, or scientists don’t always get their way.