Do you have something to say? Could you benefit from improving how you argue your case? Are you looking for something concrete to help you? Given that my recent article on how to argue well went viral, it's safe to assume this is a hot topic.
You may think this is a skill only lawyers need. But you'd be surprised at how far you can go when you can weave a strong argument. For example, you'll ace your pitch, and you'll find the real insight (or close to it) faster when you learn to argue well.
I'm working with clients on writing powerful arguments for articles and pitches right now, and I developed some tools to help them. Could the executive of a large financial company use this advice? Could the veteran executive recruiter do better on behalf of companies and senior talent?
These two examples have one issue in common: how to build the narrative structure in a way that keeps interest high, and gives readers (and listeners) the information they need to make up their mind and pick their idea or product — in other words pick them.
It's a different style than journalism, and not only for the obvious reasons. Let's take a look at the ways in which they diverge and examine the elements of a powerful argument.
How news stories inform
Once you've picked a topic, there's a proven structure journalists use: they call it the inverted pyramid. This means you're attempting to answer all the basic questions about a particular event by asking: who, what, when, where and why (the 5 Ws) and often also how in the opening of your article.
News stories also consider their readers' interest. Thus they include information about proximity, oddity, or consequence. They take into account human interest, prominence, and timeliness. I could write an entire article about objectivity and point of view. But let's keep it simple here.
Your headline is critical. You want it to draw attention to your topic, but also be accurate in describing what you'll say. It's a good idea to use active voice as much as possible and clear, short and to the point sentences. Use your conclusion to summarize the key point(s).
Look at Pulitzer Prize winners for examples. Take the 2008 story by Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post where he chronicled a world-class violinist who, as an experiment, played beautiful music in a subway station filled with distracted and harried commuters.
“Can one of the nation's great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let's find out.” That was the headline. You're probably familiar with the topic as it was popular in behavioral science circles.
Here's the set up:
He emerged from the metro at the L'Enfant Plaza station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.
Read the article here. Can you see the key elements?
Weingarten won a $10,000 prize# for a distinguished example of feature writing “giving prime consideration to quality of writing, originality and concision, in print or in print and online.”
Arguing takes you a little further.
How arguing impacts decisions
You don't need to be a lawyer to argue well, but it helps to learn from one. Gerald Spence is a semi-retired American trial lawyer and author of How to Argue and Win Every Time. It's a book filled with great stories and examples from the person who won some of the most famous cases, like the Karen Silkwood case.
Having never lost a criminal case in his 40+ year career, and achieved a remarkable record of multi-million dollar verdicts in civil cases, Spence came up with some elements that make up the power argument (in italics).
Let's build on them a little here:
- Prepare. Prepare until you've become the argument — you do that by writing things down and thinking about your argument like a screenplay. You're the good guys, the misunderstood side, the underdog. But, if you're not completely clean, find a way to come clean that still makes you win. (more about this below)
- Open the other to receiving your argument — literally empower them to receive or reject your argument by telling them the truth, being who you are.
- Give the argument in the form of story — your boss, your family, your colleagues are all primed to listen to stories. It's part of being human.
- Tell the truth — use ordinary words, talk about how you feel, yes even about fear, if that's what you're feeling. Truth is power. It's also liberating, no need to keep track of lies, and it enhances your reputation.
- Tell the other person what you want — if you're arguing for money, ask for it. The idea is not to leave the other party guessing, because they may be wrong. This is also true of pitches. It hurts your credibility if you're casual about it. There's incredible power of justice embedded in each person. Nobody can live with injustice for long or at all.
- Avoid sarcasm, scorn, and ridicule. Use humor cautiously — it may feel good to play the cynic or mock things that others hold dear, but it leads down a blind alley. You being petty doesn't help anyone. Respect is the best course. It's also reciprocal. My mentor once asked me if I liked someone I was interviewing. Yes, very much, I said. That's an indication they liked you as well, he said. As for humor, use sparingly and only if you're certain it will reveal the truth and you can pull it off. It's tricky not to fail here.
- Logic is power — you can ride it all the way if it's on your side. But if it leads to unjust results, it has no power. Opt instead for a creativity in your approach, often served by logic. (more on this below)
- Action and winning are brothers — or sisters. Take control, don't let the other get you into defensive mode. Attack, if you must. But take the initiative. Now, if you're arguing in a relationship with people you care about, do it with love. We're not going to talk about this part here. But it's worth exploring for the sake of stronger families and communities.
- Admit at the outset the weak points in your argument — there's no point hiding them, and if you bring them up first, you'll have a stronger position. This supports a few of the previous points. Honesty will also take part of the argument away from your opponent.
- Understand your power. Give yourself permission — only to win — but not with arrogance and disrespect. Find the vision within yourself, open up and let the magic out.
All these points are related. Spence believes the argument starts with the person. It's more than mere technique. It's about discovering who you are and bringing that into the world.
Your ability to argue well impacts the decisions of others. But it also impacts what happens to you. While you consume a news story, even a Pulitzer Prize caliber story, cannot get you what you want. A good argument will.
To make a power argument, consider the casting carefully
Say that you're preparing an argument to get a project reinstated. You cannot cast your boss in the role of the villain. That's because the ultimate decision-maker(s) will throw their protective cloak around the executive and reject your appeal.
Maybe you don't have a stellar track record, because the project wasn't quite going that well. Plus you had strong words about its cancellation. So it's hard for you to be the good person now. Your manager and the decision-maker(s) have already claimed the role.
The thing is you had to fold that project because of shifting priorities before it could bear fruit. You had no choice. But the lack of results left your boss with no choice as well. Maybe you also had harsh words in front of everyone. Now your boss' position of power in the company is at stake.
Who's the villain then? Circumstance, is it not? Circumstance would dictate the same result in every case a competent manager in a position of authority came in conflict with an enthusiastic, hard-working and strong-headed employee. Both manager and employee are victims of circumstance.
Since you cannot claim the high ground because it's already taken by your boss and the decision-maker(s), you cast yourself and your boss on the same side. You both want what's best for the company. A power argument thus may start from a position of power, one that generates acceptance (or approval).
To make a power argument you must be right, or justice must be on your side, or you must be the underdog seeking redemption. You must evoke respect and understanding, if not admiration. Sympathy is the weakest power position. You don't want sympathy, you want to get going with the project.
How you start to open minds, and close to get the deal
Your opening to decision-maker(s) might go like this:
When you go home tonight, no one will tell you have have done the right thing. No one will give you public recognition for having saved a project that could lead to opportunity in a new market. No one will reward you for your caring and your foresight. But I thank you now. You're wise decision-maker(s) and this company has intelligent, experienced and caring executives. My boss is among the best.
You understand the situation they're in, and respect them. Maybe you also sound a bit like you're trying to ingratiate yourself. But it's true, you are. Yet, careful that what you say in your own words is sincere. Own the argument in its entirety. Get to what you want quickly:
I'm speaking with you to ask you to give me another chance. I'm hopeful that when we're done talking, the project will be under consideration again.
Then outline what went wrong, why pulling the plug too quickly was a mistake. Keep it to circumstance being the villain and both you and your boss being on the same side: results. You know the facts, review them again with the decision-maker(s). Acknowledge that your boss was in the right to make the call and that the project was taking longer than you had anticipated.
Circumstance did intervene with company priorities shifting. You were wrong to speak out of turn when you did. Put anyone else in both roles — yours and your manager's — and you'd likely have had a version of the same predicament happen. No enthusiastic, hard-working employee would back down from proving they could open a new market. No manager could back down from reassessing priorities.
Close strong. Restate what you want: an opportunity to finish the project and prove the viability of your hypothesis for a new market. You'd like to tell your boss how sorry you are for losing your temper, and ask for advice and counsel on how to proceed to make the project a success. Or something to this effect.
The argument I've outlined is spoken. But remember that before you even deliver it, you've worked on a screenplay outlining the characters and the argument. Writing it out helps you make clarity on what you're thinking. Does it hold water? Would you accept if you were the other party?
Winning pitches are the best arguments in the marketing world. The best have no jargon, no frills, just layer upon layer of rationale and emotional story delivered with wit, humility and effortless charm. Advertising legend David Abbott is a good example.
But you may not be soft spoken like Abbott; the rationale and emotion may warrant a more energetic approach, or a gentler one, or one filled with love and restraint. I have several examples of winning pitches here.
As you review them, including the selection from movies, notice what all the winning arguments have in common: laser focus on the issue, no side conversations or back stories if they don't support the main argument, and a strong dose of caring for the outcome to benefit all involved.
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