How To Argue and Win Always
Uploaded by
ScribdTranslationsHow To Argue and Win Always
Uploaded by
ScribdTranslationsHow to Argue and Win Always
Gerry Spence - 1997
Arguing and winning is not an easy task. The understanding that winning, in certain
sometimes it is precisely to step back, or just to listen and be silent is art and wisdom. It is an attitude of
intelligence and common sense.
Managing people often requires human sensitivity to identify a
profile, a behavior and establish harmony in the relationship with the other, in
I try to address an issue or in search of a consensus. Problems, dissents, crises,
conflicts, everything can be mitigated or resolved with good reasoning.
Paradoxically, however, it is precisely this that is the problem: in general, the human being
has not yet learned to argue and to consider, with empathy, the perspective of the other.
Origin of the vast majority of contemporary problems.
Gerry Spence, with a biography of a brilliant lawyer who won all his cases.
with the power of argumentation, teaches in this valuable book that arguing is both a
art as a technique and, as such, must be learned.
Our example - worn by use, but rare in preciousness - has been teaching us the
rules of the game of good argumentation and providing us tools for obtaining
of successful results. Best-seller presents ways of argumentation at work,
at home, in court, in any everyday situation.
"The art of arguing is the art of living. We argue because we have to argue,"
because life demands it, because, after all, life itself is nothing more than an argument.
Argumentation, without a doubt, is an art. It requires a technique, a state of mind, but
Anyone is capable of making a winning argument. We can do it in
kitchen, in the bedroom, in the court, in the boardroom, at work - anywhere.
The truth is that we went to the moon and came back, but when we launched into outer space,
we reveal ourselves to be a highly backward species. We remain essentially crude,
because when confronted, the brute attacks, and when faced with necessity or
wish, forcibly removes the weaker members of the hierarchy. It is an anomaly for us to be
capable of splitting the atom, but not having the power to persuade each other to join
to justice.
The book highlights that, since the beginning of time, telling stories is the main means that
we use to teach each other. The bonfire. The members of the gathered tribes, the
little children peeking behind the adults, wide-eyed, listening attentively. The
old - with his wavering voice - telling his stories of yore. Something is learned.
with the story - how to surround and kill a saber-toothed tiger, the hunt for the king of
mastodons in a distant valley, how the old man survived the storm. There are
love stories, the discovery of special magical potions, the evil of tribes
neighboring warriors.
All of man's learning has been transmitted for ages, from generation to generation, in
storytelling. We are, in fact, creatures in a story. All kinds of
creatures inhabit the planet - grazing creatures, hunting creatures, flying ones,
aquatic, digging and parasitic, that attack and live at the expense of other creatures. But, only
we are capable of telling stories.
Counting and listening to stories are distinctive activities of our species. We keep them with us.
the stories of our childhood as basic experiences in relation to which we judge and
We resolve issues in adulthood. These experiences are implemented.
definitely in our conscious and in our subconscious. We are entertained by
drama in cinema, television, and theater - highly developed forms of storytelling
stories. The most effective television commercials are always mini-stories that last
a little over half a minute. Jokes are short stories. The great masters of
The world taught through stories. The parables of Christ are stories.
Not everything, therefore, is stories. A good argument requires knowledge and
preparation. Let's look at some recommendations from the author:
1. Get ready. Get ready until you fully grasp the argument. Get ready until you know
all the details. After getting ready, the next step is to understand that a good
Preparation is like writing the script of a movie. Proper preparation requires that you
tell the story and distribute the roles to the parties.
2. Make the Other receptive to your argument. You have already learned how: delegate to the other.
the power to accept or reject it.
3. Present the argument in the form of a story. As we have already seen, we are storytellers.
and listeners of stories by nature. Remember that the fables, the allegories and the
Parables are the traditional tools of successful argumentation.
4. Tell the truth. In simple words, you have learned the incredible power of creativity.
Be yourself, express your feelings, be receptive, authentic, and be afraid if you are.
the case is effective. The power of argumentation begins and ends with the revelation of
Truth. Truth is power.
5. Tell the Other what you want. If you are before a jury arguing for a
compensation in cash, ask for money. Leaving the other to guess your desire, the
A guess may be wrong, and guesses ruin your credibility.
6. Avoid sarcasm, disdain, and ridicule. Use humor with caution.
Refrain from insulting. No one appreciates the cynic, the scoffer, the mocker, the
small and petty. Respect for our opponent ennobles us. Remember: The
respect is reciprocal.
The use of humor can be the most devastating of all weapons in a
argumentation. Humor is omnipotent when it reveals the truth. But be careful: a
a failed attempt to be funny is one of the most dangerous strategies.
7. Admit from the beginning the weaknesses of your argument. You can expose the
your weaknesses more clearly than your interlocutor, who will expose them
darker form. An honest admission coming from you not only gives you
credibility, but also leaves your opponent with nothing to say, except what you
has already admitted.
Logic is power. If logic is in your favor, always follow it. If it is against you,
if it leads to an unjust result, it will have no power. As Samuel Butler said, "A
Logic is like a sword - those who cling to it suffer for it.
Logic does not always lead to truth - or to justice. Logic defeats the
spontaneity. It is often somber and combines more with the dead, for almost
it is always devoid of spirit. Do not renounce creativity in favor of logic.
Meanwhile, the creative mind will soon see that creativity is almost always served by
logic.
The book, we conclude, is a true argument. It is the result of a work.
developed and refined throughout a lifetime and was structured with the aim of
identify communication barriers and offer the key to unlock them.
structure reflects a method of communication with people, in various scenarios:
inside and outside the courtroom, at home, at work, and in various circumstances of our
daily.
How Arguing is Always Winning is more than just a book about
argumentation is a treasure, a work of guidance for life.
