Ever gotten into an argument with someone, then after an hour of intense debate, realized you have gotten nowhere? Well, check out these tips.
Never deal in absolutes, they are hard to defend, make sure you are willing to bend on your part of the argument, so as not to get backed into a corner.
Always remain level headed, an expression of emotion can give away that you are frustrated, desperate, and tells your opponent they have the upper-hand.
Always remain on topic, branching off of subject, especially attacking your opponent personally, shows that you are running out of argument relevant to the topic.
Assert yourself, keep eye-contact; do not let your opponent think that you are intimidated by them.
Make sure you believe your side of the argument and are willing to defend it.
Never argue for the sake of arguing.
Always think before you say something, don't lead yourself into a dead end.
In your head imagine you were on your opponents side of the argument, and what you would say in its defense, this will better allow you to prepare for contradicting the claim if indeed your opponent does use it.
If you sense your opponent is making a point, or can make a point, that you can't or will have a hard time rebutting, try to avoid conversation that will prompt him or her to bring it up.
Always have facts, it is extremely hard to convince one of something based solely on opinions.
If possible, lead the conversation to a point where you think your opponent will make a mistake, always watch for an opportunity to catch them off-guard, like a baseball runner attempting to steal a base.
Always have something to say, even if only to buy time, pausing to think shows you are unprepared, as well as giving the opponent time to think, think of it like a game of chess, the more time you think while it is your turn, the more time your opponent has to think as well.
Never think you have won an argument until your opponent admits it.
If you realize that you were wrong, admit it, it is better to appear wrong and admit it, than to defend the wrong side and appear like an idiot later (not really a tip to winning an argument, but hey, it's a tip).
Never get into an argument you can't win, then you will never have to use tip 14.
Thank you very much, hopefully it helps someone out.
