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The Steel Man Technique: How To Argue Better And Be More Persuasive
"Steelmanning" is the opposite of "strawmanning." While strawmanning involves weakening or misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack, steelmanning is the practice of strengthening an opposing argument—presenting it in its strongest, most reasonable, and most compelling form—before engaging with it.
Key Aspects of
... See moreMost people immediately start with a straw man, poking holes in the weakest version of the other side’s case. He does the reverse: he considers the strongest version of their case, which is known as the steel man.10 A politician might occasionally adopt that tactic to pander or persuade, but like a good scientist, Harish does it to learn.
Adam Grant • Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
Now, here are four steps to being a stronger debater:
1. Stay calm and objective: The moment you get emotional, you're more susceptible to making errors in reasoning and less likely to be persuasive. Take a deep breath and consider how you’d want the best version of yourself to show up.
2. Listen actively: Before countering an argument, ensure you
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