How can you clearly communicate evidence and reasoning?

1 Define your purpose

Before you start communicating your evidence and reasoning, you need to define your purpose. What is the main goal of your communication? Who is your audience? What do they already know, believe, or expect? How do you want them to respond? These questions will help you tailor your message to suit your context and avoid unnecessary confusion or conflict. For example, if your purpose is to persuade a skeptical audience, you might need to provide more evidence and address potential objections. If your purpose is to inform a curious audience, you might need to explain your sources and methods. If your purpose is to collaborate with a diverse audience, you might need to acknowledge different perspectives and values.

2 Organize your argument

Once you have defined your purpose, you need to organize your argument. An argument is a series of statements that support a claim or conclusion. To communicate your argument clearly, you need to follow a logical structure that shows how your evidence and reasoning lead to your conclusion. There are different ways to structure an argument, depending on your purpose and audience, but a common one is the Toulmin model. The Toulmin model consists of six elements: claim, grounds, warrant, backing, qualifier, and rebuttal. A claim is what you want to prove or persuade. Grounds are the evidence or facts that support your claim. Warrant is the reasoning or logic that connects your grounds to your claim. Backing is the additional evidence or authority that supports your warrant. Qualifier is the word or phrase that indicates the strength or scope of your claim. Rebuttal is the counter-argument or exception that challenges your claim.

3 Use credible sources

To communicate your evidence and reasoning effectively, you need to use credible sources. Credible sources are those that are reliable, relevant, and unbiased. They provide accurate, up-to-date, and verifiable information that matches your purpose and audience. To evaluate the credibility of a source, you need to consider four criteria: authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity. Authority is the expertise or reputation of the author or publisher. Accuracy is the correctness or validity of the information. Currency is the timeliness or freshness of the information. Objectivity is the fairness or balance of the information. You can use these criteria to check the credentials, references, dates, and perspectives of your sources.

4 Cite your sources

To communicate your evidence and reasoning ethically, you need to cite your sources. Citing your sources means giving credit to the original authors or creators of the information that you use in your communication. Citing your sources helps you avoid plagiarism, which is the act of using someone else's words or ideas without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is not only dishonest, but also harmful to your credibility and reputation. To cite your sources correctly, you need to follow a citation style, which is a set of rules and conventions that specify how to format and document your sources. There are different citation styles, depending on your discipline, purpose, and audience, but some common ones are APA, MLA, and Chicago. You can use these styles to create in-text citations, footnotes, endnotes, and reference lists.

5 Explain your reasoning

To communicate your evidence and reasoning persuasively, you need to explain your reasoning. Explaining your reasoning means showing how you interpret, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the evidence that supports your claim. Explaining your reasoning helps you demonstrate your critical thinking skills, clarify your assumptions, and justify your conclusions. To explain your reasoning effectively, you need to use clear and precise language, avoid logical fallacies, and address counter-arguments. Clear and precise language is the use of words and sentences that convey your meaning without ambiguity or confusion. Logical fallacies are errors or flaws in reasoning that weaken your argument. Counter-arguments are opposing or alternative views that challenge your claim.

6 Seek feedback

To communicate your evidence and reasoning successfully, you need to seek feedback. Seeking feedback means asking for and receiving constructive comments or suggestions from others about your communication. Seeking feedback helps you improve your communication skills, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and learn from different perspectives. To seek feedback productively, you need to be open-minded, respectful, and reflective. Open-minded means being willing to listen to and consider other opinions and ideas. Respectful means being polite and courteous to others and their feedback. Reflective means being able to think about and apply the feedback to your communication.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?