How to argue effectively – like a child!
Well, if you’re this Jay’s children, that is. Jay shared about How to Teach a Child to Argue, which ironically applies very well even in adult situation.
How to Teach a Child to Argue
Why would any sane parent teach his kids to talk back? Because, this father found, it actually increased family harmony.
By Jay Heinrichs
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Why on earth would any parent want that? Because persuasion is powerful. Rhetoric originated in the lawsuits of ancient Greece, when citizens who weren’t good at persuading could lose their houses — or their lives. It was a staple of education until the early 1800s, teaching society’s elite how to debate, make public decisions, and reach consensus.
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And let’s face it: Our culture has lost the ability to usefully disagree. Most Americans seem to avoid argument. But this has produced passive aggression and groupthink in the office, red and blue states, and families unable to discuss things as simple as what to watch on television. Rhetoric doesn’t turn kids into back-sassers; it makes them think about other points of view.
I had long equated arguing with fighting, but in rhetoric they are very different things. An argument is good; a fight is not. Whereas the goal of a fight is to dominate your opponent, in an argument you succeed when you bring your audience over to your side. A dispute over territory in the backseat of a car qualifies as an argument, for example, in the unlikely event that one child attempts to persuade his audience rather than slug it.
Combine the above with the “Reasonable Person Principle“, and I think you would be in a very compelling position to get what you want.
Thanks for this. ^^