Techniques to elegantly put any know-it-all in its place

in your book The Art of Verbal Attack (in free translation: The Art of Verbal Attack), Karsten Bredemeier writes that the ability to win in a dispute depends less on knowledge than on the tactics and tricks that anyone can learn. Using this method, you will brilliantly disarm your opponents, and if it is an online dispute, your comments on the internet will receive massive amounts of likes.

O awesome.club compiled the simplest and most effective tricks that will teach you how to win any dispute with dignity.

in your book The Art of Controversy, Jonathan Herring points out that the way of speaking must be in accordance with the level of understanding of those to whom it is intended. From this, it is not advisable to brag with your clever terms, if it is known in advance that the recipient will not understand. Finally, explain what you mean.

At the same time, complicated words and terms can be used to confuse the opponent, but it would no longer be fair game.

Whatever topic you are discussing, there will always be public people who know a lot about it. They can be politicians, scientists, writers, etc. Argument your position, referring to the opinion of competent people on the matter. This will give weight to each of your words. The main thing is that the reference is real, otherwise you risk losing.

There are 2 types of arguments that are almost impossible to argue with: facts and statistics. Your opponent is unlikely to try to refute the immutable truth that the Earth is round (although there are people like that too). Statistical data is not always at hand, but here the almighty Google can help.

For that, it is necessary to clearly understand the subject and the limits of the dispute and to see the line where the conversation ends and the censures begin. In a dispute, it does not matter whether a person chokes, speaks loudly or softly, quickly or slowly, and so on, but only his thoughts and arguments. Also remember that a person’s opinion of an object is not characteristic of him as an individual.

Sometimes partially agreeing with the opponent helps. Find something you both agree on. This will make your opponent more open to persuasion. Use the “yes, but…” method. If you notice that your opponent has crossed his arms and frowned, maybe you should show agreement with something he says to calm the situation and the interlocutor.

Pretending innocence, ask questions sincerely. The person will relax, feel no threats and begin to reason. At each step, reinforce your questions, make them more difficult, find contradictions, and in the end, the interlocutor will be confused and lose. This technique is called “Socratic Method”. From it, the famous philosopher won many disputes.

Emotions work much faster and more accurately. Sometimes, a single well-defined emotion can overcome the strongest arguments. Make it look like the opponent’s words insulted you, make him feel guilty or, on the contrary, praise him; flattery always disarms the other. Try to thrill your interlocutor. This way, he will give you the reason more easily, or he will simply be distracted, which will give you an advantage.

Try not to use “unstable” words like “maybe”, “probably”, “could”. These words leave a hole in your argument and show insecurity. The opponent can take advantage of this and overturn your argument. Pay attention to the details. Be concrete, don’t get into vacillating demagoguery, it’s easy to get lost in it.

Many people don’t know how to argue because, instead of listening, they think about what they’re going to answer. As a result, the thread is lost and the interlocutors quarrel or end the dialogue in nothing.

As you listen to the other party, observe their way of speaking. Try to understand the logic of your reasoning to anticipate the next move. Feel his weaknesses: lack of logic, contradictions, fuzzy position, inconsistency, etc.

In the heat of a dispute, there is a great temptation to raise your voice or interrupt the interlocutor. The thing is, this kind of behavior denotes weakness, so try to remain calm and confident, so you don’t give your opponent the opportunity to hurt your feelings, and you earn the respect and recognition of your listeners. Only a cool head is able to think clearly.

Sometimes a dispute becomes an open confrontation. If you notice that the person starts attacking your individual characteristics and goes beyond the limits of decency, then it is better to give in, to get on their nerves. There is a type of person who cannot have a constructive conversation, they only argue to assert themselves. Therefore, he tries to humiliate, ignoring common sense. It is best to stay away from this type of interlocutor.

Is that you? Do you have any secrets to winning disputes? Tell us in the comments.