Toulmin Method to Arguing OWL Purdue University Use an organizational structure that arranges the argument in a way that will make sense to the reader. The Toulmin Method of logic is a common and easy to use formula for organizing an argument. The basic format for the Toulmin Method is as follows:

Claim: The overall thesis the writer will argue for. The statement which you are offering your audience to accept. Thesis statement. Claim must be a statement, not a question. It must make a claim that you are going to prove with your research.

Data: Evidence gathered to support the claim. Research

Warrant (also referred to as a bridge): Explanation of why or how the data supports the claim, the underlying assumption that connects your data to your claim Including a well thought out warrant or bridge is essential to writing a good argumentative essay or paper. If you present data to your audience without explaining how it supports your thesis they may not make a connection between the two or they may draw different conclusions.

Backing (also referred to as the foundation): Additional logic or reasoning that may be necessary to support the warrant. Show the strength of the connection between the claim and the data. Backup your claim.

Counterclaim: AKA Objection A claim that negates or disagrees with the thesis/claim Don't avoid the opposing side of an argument. Instead, include the opposing side as a counterclaim. Find out what the other side is saying and respond to it within your own argument. This is important so that the audience is not swayed by weak, but unrefuted, arguments. Including counterclaims allows you to find common ground with more of your readers. It also makes you look more credible because you appear to be knowledgeable about the entirety of the debate rather than just being biased or uniformed. You may want to include several counterclaims to show that you have thoroughly researched the topic.

Rebuttals These are the arguments which are directed against the possible objections to your claim.

Claim: Hybrid cars are an effective strategy to fight pollution. Data1:Driving a private car is a typical citizen's most air polluting activity. Warrant 1:Because cars are the largest source of private, as opposed to industry produced, air pollution switching to hybrid cars should have an impact on fighting pollution. You would need backing or foundation to support Data 1.

Data 2: Each vehicle produced is going to stay on the road for roughly 12 to 15 years. Warrant 2: Cars generally have a long lifespan, meaning that a decision to switch to a hybrid car will make a long-term impact on pollution levels. Again, data is presented which needs backing or foundation. Warrant is the bridge that connects the data to the claim.

Data 3: Hybrid cars combine a gasoline engine with a battery-powered electric motor. Warrant 3: This combination of technologies means that less pollution is produced. According to ineedtoknow.org "the hybrid engine of the Prius, made by Toyota, produces 90 percent fewer harmful emissions than a comparable gasoline engine."

Counterclaim: Instead of focusing on cars, which still encourages a culture of driving even if it cuts down on pollution, the nation should focus on building and encouraging use of mass transit systems. Rebuttal: While mass transit is an environmentally sound idea that should be encouraged, it is not feasible in many rural and suburban areas, or for people who must commute to work; thus hybrid cars are a better solution for much of the nation's population. Rebuttal: Evidence that negates or disagrees with the counterclaim

Claim Smoking in Public Places Should be Banned

Data Recent studies show that almost 80% of those who ingest secondhand smoke from public smokers have a higher risk of getting respiratory problems than smokers themselves.

Warrant Stopping a bad habit can help reduce the occurrence of its bad consequences

Backing Life expectancy is lengthened if habits bad to one's health are stopped

Counterclaim It is not always the case that people who smoke will suffer from lung cancer.

Rebuttal The risks of getting lung cancer are higher for those who smoke routinely.

Exterior Content - Everything in your presentation other than your Powerpoint. The best presentations include practiced hand gestures, polished verbal delivery, and some form of crowd interaction. Rationale: For a presentation to be effective, it must include content outside of PowerPoint.

Exterior Content Help Use your PowerPoint as an aid to your presentation, not as your presentation Be sure that your Exterior Content and your Interior Content are different Know your presentation space and execute your gestures and volume accordingly Rationale: When planning the delivery of your presentation, keep in mind what will be best expressed by you in your own voice; remember, rarely can even the best PowerPoint take the place of a real, human voice. Similarly, try not to rely too much on a laser pointer; instead use the design of your slides to direct your audience’s attention. Remember what Powerpoint can do and what it can't (and keep in mind what you're comfortable doing in PowerPoint and not). If you want to have an audience’s complete, undivided attention, leave time between slides to talk uninterrupted, or even insert a white, blank slide and look your audience in the eye as you speak to them. Further, you can use ”Presenter Tools" and other facilities in the newer versions of PowerPoint to enhance your presentation. Search your Office software’s Help for assistance on presenter tools, and consult rhetoric and elocution manuals for help in public speaking.

Alternate Method No Template No more than six words on a slide Image heavy Little or no animations Rely even more on Exterior Content Rationale: There are many alternate methods to the corporate look, and this slide explains one. It uses no template, no repeating background, and no more than six words on each slide. It is extremely image heavy, meaning that it uses arresting pictures or drawings to attract the audience’s attention. There are little or no animations, and generally no transitions between slides. Because of these strictures, presentations formed with this alternate method must rely almost completely on Exterior Content to communicate their messages and even to explain the purpose of each slide.

drunk Driving K I L L S Rationale: This is a slide that would work in the alternate method. It is much more visually stimulating than a PowerPoint slide from a template, and the picture adds an emotional effect when paired with the intentionally minimal words. Such a slide would, of course, benefit from a good speaker discussing the slide’s subject matter as the slide is shown.

KNOW WHEN TO STOP Rationale: The same alternate method applies to this slide. Thank you for viewing this slide show. Learning basic guidelines for document creation is especially helpful for two reasons: 1) it frees you from simple mistakes and helps you become more persuasive and 2) if you learn the guidelines you become free to tinker with them to create new and innovative designs.

Limit Bullet Points and Text 1. 2. not as your presentation Better Best

Use High Quality Graphics Cheesy Professional

Credits Garr Reynolds Photos.com Google Images Teacher Tube Author of Presentation Zen Photos.com Google Images Teacher Tube

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