If you wanted to know where many of our well known argument strategies com from, just look at William Shakespeare. He didn't like the traditional strategies of his time, therefore in his writings, he flat out invented absurd ways to win an argument that surprisingly work and are now common staples of any good arguer. Strategy number one: twist a cliche. Cliches are found everywhere, from the knight saving the princess to the villain having no moral compasses. Your job is to throw these cliches out of their orbit to undermine them and make them seem foolish. Why can't the princess save herself? She has the means to and has all the time in the world to hatch a plan. It would be just silly that she would wait for what could possibly be forever just on the hope that a random stranger would come an save her without and fear of sexual harassment. Now this cliche has been lifted and my point is much stronger. Strategy number two: weigh both sides. If you present both sides of an argument to your audience, you are offering them a choice, one that can be shifted in your favor. If you make you side of an argument comparatively better sounding, then it become an obvious choice to your audience which side to choose. Strategy number three: edit yourself out loud. People feel safer around someone that they feel is honest. By correcting your own mistakes out loud, you come off as a much more honest person, and you seem much more educated on your topic, so much so that you even know when you yourself mess up. Strategy four: control your volume. Just like they do in the movies, you can raise and lower your voice to create a certain mood. For example, a loud voice excites and demands attention, while a low one draws your audience in and makes them focus more intently. And lastly, just go full Shakespeare and make up words like there is no tomorrow. Shakespeare was notorious for doing this and it is one of he reasons that his works have lasted so long.
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