Saturday, February 1, 2014

Week 2 TYFA

After reading a few chapters of Thank You for Arguing, I can confidently say I’ve learned more about persuasion and agreement than I previously knew. In chapter three there is a lot of discussion on the difference between attacking someone with a fight or talking with someone in an argument. It is crucial to understand what you want in the end, and then putting the conversation in that tense. I think that because most people don’t have an extended knowledge on how to argue “correctly”, it can be tough for them to have a controlled argument. Because of their lack of knowledge, I think it can also be difficult for those arguing against them to make them change their mind.

I also agree with Jay Heinrichs when he talks about suggesting an extreme to get what you want. I remember learning that tip when reading a magazine a long time ago, and I still use it to my advantage. In sixth grade my English teacher emphasized the fact that “everything is relative”, and I think that comes to play in this situation. When you want something and immediately compare two things, you can make what you want seem more desirable. I think it’s also important to recognize when someone is using that tactic on you. I think by continuing to learn about the art of persuasion, it’ll help us not only with our own skills but how to avoid getting manipulated by the same strategy.

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