FORMS OF SUPPORT
Alfred C. Snider, University of Vermont
Object: Assist the audience in accepting a specific point you are making.
Make the connection between your abstract and theoretical argument and reality.
Current Event – something happening now proves your point.
- Example that mirrors what is happening in your argument.
- The more similar the better.
Expert opinion – some expert agrees with you
- Need name and who they are
- Theory, prediction, idea that you can use to support your argument.
Quotation – Some famous person or expert makes a statement
- Identity
- Slogan or statement
- Relevance
- Churchill most common – Democracy, Talk over war.
- All politics comes fro the barrel of a gun. -Mao
- For every complex problem there is a solution that is clear, simple, and wrong. H.L. Mencken
- History is prolog – Jefferson
Statistics – Data that supports your argument
- Current is important
- Suggest a trend or direction
- Absolute precision not needed.
Empirical or case study – A study of an actual case proves your point
- More detail than an example
- Similarity in crucial aspects essential
- May predict result or important causal forces
Analogy, comparison – Your point is very much like something else
- Literal - better
- Figurative – not so good
Personal testimony – What happened to you that supports your argument
- Power of narrative
- Real life example and you were there.
- Avoid too much detail
Narrative about another person - Tell a story about another person to support your argument
- Same as personal testimony, yet not as powerful
Visualization – Paint a word picture and have the audience imagine they are in that picture
- Map out a situation
- Place listeners in tat situation
- Ask them to draw their own conclusion
- Huge persuasive power
Historical example – Event in history supports your point
- Known
- Analogous
- Not too distant
Commonly accepted idea – Something almost all people believe
- Often about motivations and what moves people
- Aphorisms only work on lazy thinkers
- Money motivates people
Forms of Support for Your Argument
Reviewed by Unknown
on
February 04, 2014
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
February 04, 2014
Rating:
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