Giving Them What They Want

It is said countless times in Thank You For Arguing and on my blogs: have your opponent agree with your point right from the beginning. Who is going to listen to someone brag about all the wonderful things he/she is getting? Unfortunately humans are a selfish and greedy species. They want nothing else  than to satisfy their own needs. That is why it's important for a rhetorician to know what the audience wants and, as Heinrichs states, "convincing your audience that the choice you offer is most "advantageous" - to the advantage of the audience, that is, not you." (98). This comes in handy when you are up against someone in a discussion. To get the audience to back you up, you need to give them the best options for them to see you'll do a greater change for them. 

When coming up agains your opponent, the best option is to persuade your audience that he/she is wrong. This is where logos comes in. You want to identify and reject your opposition's facts. "If facts work in your favor,use them. If they don't (or you don't know them) don't." (109). This can sometimes be tricky as hardly any human is a walking enciclopedia. But fret not, there is an answer. Redefine terms and facts when your opponent blows you away with his knowledge and add a bit of wit. Remember one thing, put your audiences needs before yours.