As of late there’s been quite a lot of hubbub on the news about the health care reforms that the country is very much divided on. I’m not here to spout off about what I think you should think, because I am not a political pundit, this is definitely not a forum for politics, and frankly I think the world would be a much happier place if the political pundits always at each others neck simply vanished, but this is also besides the point. The point is that throughout all of the divisive arguing, not once have I seen a display of civil debate on the part of the people; I’ve seen clips of town hall meetings where in the middle of a politicians speech, some townsperson will stand up and start yelling, presumably with the intention of getting a point across, but inevitably just yelling about how everyone on the hill is going to hell, which true or not has absolutely nothing to do about health care. For those of you who know how to argue well, the world is your oyster, and for those of you who don’t, I will attempt to help you to the best of my ability.

First of all, do not yell. It is tempting, especially when you are impassioned in regards to whatever you’re promoting, but trying to get your point across at 160 decibels will only frustrate people, perforate eardrums, and make it harder for people to accept what you’re trying to tell them. If you can keep your calm, you can gain the upper hand because you’ll have reigned in emotions that your opponent might be letting running rampant (and therefore looking completely irrational). Furthermore, it’s best to avoid regressing to being mean altogether. This seems like a no-brainer, but a lot of the time when arguing, the school-yard bully in all of us is let off of its leash and we tend to taunt and throw around cruel, petty, personal attacks. When we lose our temper, we digress, create unnecessary tension, and tend to lose any and all ability to have a well constructed argument. This can get a bit tricky, since all people are prone to losing their temper every now and again, from four year olds to ex-Seinfeld stars, to senators. It’s hard to keep your cool in a heated argument, but if you’re looking to build a solid persuasive argument, it is a must.

Most importantly, know what you’re talking about. You could be the most eloquent speaker to have ever walked on our lush and verdant Earth, but if you don’t know what you’re talking about, you might as well keep quiet. Also, be sure that your information is correct and comes from a reliable source. It’s best to stay away from blatantly biased sources (for instance, any information from the Westboro Baptist “Church”), because they tend to be blatantly wrong. If your issue is political, get the story from both sides and make an informed decision from there, because to be perfectly honest, there is no source of political media that isn’t biased, and opposing parties tend to be selective as to what information they want to circulate about their opponents.

These are simple tactics, yes, but it seems to me that these are the ones people seem to overlook the most. Whether you’re arguing your position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or giving a proposal as to why your parents should, in fact, buy you a car, these rules are pretty much universal, but not all inclusive. These are just the basics that need to be stressed in order to build up the qualities needed to become a debater extraordinaire, or as aforementioned, in order to persuade one’s parents into buying one a car.