Claim, reason, example
An opinion is a claim without a reason. An argument is a claim with one.
The smallest unit of persuasion is three beats: what you think, why, and one concrete case that shows it. Most people stop after the first beat and wonder why nobody moves. Say all three, in that order, and stop.
Instead of
Remote work's just better, honestly. Everyone knows it.
Try
Remote work's better for focused jobs — because you cut the interruptions. My team's bug rate halved the month we went hybrid.
Try it today
Next time you state an opinion, add a 'because' and one example before you stop talking.
The science
Stephen Toulmin's model of argument (The Uses of Argument, 1958): a claim needs grounds and a warrant. Aristotle's Rhetoric called the compressed version an enthymeme — the everyday syllogism.
Where you'd actually use it
- 🎬 Culture & Hot TakesZero stakes, all the practice: someone has declared a film the best ever made and pre-emptively dismissed you. Disagree with a rea…
- 🎬 Culture & Hot TakesThe greatest-of-all-time argument, and they've gone straight to the stats. Argue for a different player — or against stats as the …
Next lesson
- ⚖️ Steelman before you strikeBeat the strongest version of their argument, or you haven't beaten anything.
- 🤝 Concede the true part firstGive away what's true and you get to keep everything else.
- 📣 End with the askAn argument without an ask is a complaint.