FAQ: Logical fallacies and how to beat them

Question #1: What are logical fallacies?

Fundamental flaws in the logic used to reach a specific conclusion. It is important to distinguish them from factual inaccuracies, as your facts and figures can…

How to build a strong argument in 3 short steps (and how not to)

The ability to make a strong argument is one of the most sought-after skills in the modern British workplace, which isn’t surprising considering that 8 out 10 jobs in the UK economy are in the services sector.

The sexual harassment debate: are we asking the right questions?

A debater’s guide to handling a live Q&A

My favourite thing about debating in front of live audiences is by far the Q&A. Up to…

A response to Owen Jones on debating terrorism

The news this weekend has been dominated by the response of Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to the brutal Manchester attack. Public opinion was sharply divided by his speech, in which he argued that British foreign policy has contributed to the…

It’s not what you think that matters, but how you think it…

The class begins with a question: what colour is this dress?

FAQ: Great debaters, Using logic, and Playing devil’s advocate

Earlier this year, I ran a series of debate training classes called ‘The Argument Clinic’. I invited the audience to ask me anything they’d ever wanted to know about debating and promised to write up my answers in a blog…

When to start writing your speech (and when not to)…

When you are prepared enough to know you won’t need one…

You’ve been asked to give a speech a month from now, maybe 10 or 15 minutes either on a topic of your choice or one chosen by your host. You want to invest…

What a constructive conversation about systemic racism looks like and what it took to get there…

TL;DR — the key points to take away from this story are:

• Conversations are a starting point, not an achievement, and there should be…