What baffled me the 1st time I heard about this nonsense was that in the real world, you’ll never win an argument like that. You win people over not just with points but with real rhetorical and oratorical skill. Just watch any Obama speech, his pauses and rhythms. Honestly, his oratory got him elected as much as anything, his record was thin. My teen daughter tends to speak fast and monotonically, and we constantly tell her to slow down and inflect, emphasize your points and giving people time to absorb. This academic debate culture has said that is utterly unimportant.
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