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How To Win Any Argument, No Matter What
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Validate Their Feelings
Saying things like 'I understand why you'd feel that way...' or 'Anyone would feel like that in the same situation' validates the other person's emotions and completely disarms them.
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Look At It As A Conversation
Go back to the concept of talking with someone rather than talking to someone.
It can help keep the other person cool, which pretty much always means you've won the argument.
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Make It All About Them
The key to successful persuasion is to show how and why something matters in relation to that person's life and experience.
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Don't Lose Your Cool
Losing your temper will only anger the other person, which will heighten the argument.
If you can keep things calm, you might even be able to stop the argument.
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Switch Perspective
Step into the mind of the person you are arguing with and see their view.
This allows you to figure out what is influencing them and you can come back with a powerful counter-argument.
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Keep Your Facts Straight
Quoting incorrect information weakens your point, which is essentially an automatic loss.
Check your facts and avoid yelling about any old thing. If you aren't sure about something, you can always say, "I'd need to look into that."
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Avoid Using Exaggerations
Words like "everybody, always, never" are broad generalizations.
They make your point unbelievable, while also angering whoever you're talking to.
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Try To Be More Persuasive
During an argument, think like a salesperson and try to be as persuasive as possible. Facts don't persuade, emotions do.
To pull on the other person's heartstrings, toss in some imagery or relate the story back to them. Hopefully, they'll calm down and see things your way.
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Use "I" Statements
Instead of casting blame and saying things like "you did this" and "you did that," try using "I" statements.
An 'I' statement stops people from becoming defensive when bringing up a topic of concern.
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Respect Their Point Of View
The best way to keep an argument calm is to be as kind as possible. Respectfully acknowledge the other person's viewpoint, even if you don't agree with it.
Say things like "I see what you're saying there," or "That's a good point."
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Try To Politely Disengage
If the other person is truly getting out of control, it's often best to disengage. A perfect phrase to drop is: 'If you say so.'
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Avoid Common Argument Fallacies
Winning an argument often comes down to who can go the longest without contradicting themselves and keeping sound logic, not direct persuasion of the other party.
Anecdotal Fallacy
Using a single personal experience as the foundation of your argument or your big piece of evidence.
For example, your phone may have broken right after you bought it, but you can’t use that to argue that those phones are not worth the purchase for others.
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Switch perspectives
Showing empathy will lower the temperature of the debate and allow both of you to come to a resolution.
Try to appear open-minded
If you appear to be giving the other side’s position a thoughtful review, then the solution you propose will seem to be far more sensible. Furthermore, your opponent may come to your side without you having to do anything other than listening.