In other articles, we've already told you how to analyze the needs of your audience. But how to prove that your solution will answer these needs better than others? Through arguments.

Thesis

The first component of an argument is the thesis. A persuasive thesis is built through a consequence, not a premise or a comparison to an alternative solution.

- Do it this way. To do otherwise is foolish (comparison)
- Things are bad, so do this (premise)

+ Do it like this, or it will be bad (consequence)

A consequence is a situation in your listener's future. In a thesis statement, you state that by using your solution, this situation will be pleasant: the listener will benefit or avoid trouble. For example, he will choose to promote through Tik-Tok (the solution) to get more customers (and benefit). Or he will observe self-isolation (solution) to prevent the collapse of the health care system (avoid trouble).

Note: this is a situation in your listener's future, not in some abstract future. To understand what benefits your interlocutor wants to gain and what troubles to avoid, analyze your audience before communicating, even if it consists of two people.

Explanation

An explanation is a bridge from your thesis to your interlocutor. It clings to the consequence of “why?” or “so what of it?” questions.

Do this or it will be bad (implication)

Why? Because it won't be pretty (explanation)

And what's that? When it's ugly, everyone's sad (explanation)

What do you and most BEsmart customers (IT tops, creative managers, scientists, TED speakers) have in common? You all feel like the audience understands you. And the audience does understand every word — but in its own way. To keep the listener from going off in their logic in an unexpected direction, explain your thesis in detail — justify the implication. Use the right number of “why?” and “and what of it?” questions until they lead to an obvious conclusion.

Proof

You can use emotional and rational tools to prove your point and to support it.

a. Rational tools are graphs, expert opinions, data from experiments.
b. Emotional tools are stories, personal examples, illustrations.

In the example of the thesis of the need for self-isolation, you can show a graph of the increasing number of people getting sick, or you can tell the story of the seven handshakes that led to new infections. This choice again depends on the analysis of your audience — you need to choose a format that will be illustrative and convincing for these people.

Conclusion

The conclusion summarizes everything that has been said and brings us back to the thesis. Thus, at the beginning of an argument we show our direction, then move towards it with explanation and evidence, and finally inform where we have come. If you leave the listener without a conclusion, they may interpret your evidence in their own way. Remind them exactly how the data proves your thesis, even if it seems obvious.

At the end of this article, I will remind you that communication skills can help you solve real-world problems through speech. There are several other principles that go into the tools of argumentation. I will tell you about them in the next texts!