How To Win (Or Lose) A Debate ????

X (formerly known as Twitter) is the only app where I comment on stuff.?

On other apps, I barely scroll, let alone comment on anything. But on X, which is the town square of the internet regarding news, sports, and social topics (for better or worse), I engage. It’s fun for me.?

As such, sometimes there’s disagreement.?

Common disagreement topics –

Race

Relationships?

Money / Business?

Politics?

Gender?

I have a strange appetite for these discussions. I ENJOY when people disagree with me, for 3 reasons:?

1) It forces me to defend my position, which makes me better and explaining it.?

2) The more I engage with a dissenter, the better I understand their (often logically flawed and emotionally-leaning) thought process.?

3) These conversations fuel content creation for me. In other words, the dumb / illogical things people say are not isolated to that one person. Others think the same way, I reason. So, I make content addressing the point.?

And you thought I just came up with all this material on my own ??. I wish I was that smart.?

Here’s what often happens when a disagreement arises.?

Step 1: Someone makes a point?

Step 2: Pushback

Step 3: Exchange of ideas

(All is fine up to this point.)

Step 4: Someone (always the other person, in my case) realizes that their points are not moving me.?

Step 5: Personal and Professional insults from my counterpart, who has run out of material.?

Just today, a woman with (according to her) “a Master’s degree in Global Leadership and Entrepreneurship” told me that my verified check on X is because I’m delusional about being a mogul – but I’m really not one.?

She did this after we engaged on the topic of entrepreneurship, and I asked if she actually owned a business (a question she conveniently ignored).?

She followed up by telling me that I “run [my] business like the slave trade.” Yes, she really said that. No, I don't know what this means or where she got it from.??

But, anyway.?

Here are the keys to professional disagreement.?

1) Keep the conversation focused on the central point.?

This is called “framing,” and most people suck at it.?

This is how two people can start off disagreeing about one thing, and end up arguing about a completely different topic.?

Years ago, two guys got in a debate over Kobe Bryant that went completely off track – to the point that they agreed to meet in Temecula, CA, to fistfight. Only one guy showed up. He recorded a diss rap song, “Meet Me In Temecula,” attacking his internet opponent.?

“We’re here to discuss XYZ.” ??That's simple framing.?

2) Replace assumptions with questions.?

A well-worded question, such as one a trial lawyer uses when cross-examining, puts someone on their heels and / or exposes the fragility of their position.?

It also puts the ball in their court, which lets them talk more.?

When someone has a weak point, you WANT them to talk more. They're serving up softballs for you to knock out of the park. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, never interrupt an enemy who’s in the process of making a mistake.?

Don't assume that you know. Ask, and let them tell you.?

Open-ended questions – which can't be answered with “yes” or “no” but create an opening for a person to speak more – are best.?

3) Ad Hominem = Admission Of Defeat.

Ad hominem means, “directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.”

Whoever goes ad hominem first, loses.?

When in a debate, attack the POINT mercilessly. Never attack the PERSON who made the point. Resorting to personal insults is childish and a sign that your conversation points aren't doing their job.?

In a setting like political debates, for example, attacking the person is fair game – because all of the person is up for evaluation. When you and a random person disagree, however, you have no grounds for personal attack. You know nothing of each other – so stick to the points.?

***

This type of verbal battle isn't for everyone.?

The truth is, most people are too easily thrown off and emotionally triggered when someone directly disagrees with or challenges them. We've been socialized to be nice and agreeable so much that people tend to think that “nice and agreeable” is reality. The actual reality is that people still have the same aggression as they've always had. Social media is a convenient outlet for aggressive energy, as you can let off steam passively instead of dealing with someone face-to-face.?

?The more of it you face though, the easier it gets.?

Speaking of battles, join Work On Your Game University where you can learn to be a business predator and fully equip yourself to “kill what you eat” on the entrepreneurial battlefield.?

Learn more here: https://www.WorkOnYourGameUniversity.com/?