Bringing others to your side is a lot like opening a menu at a Chinese restaurant. There are a lot of options. Some go for the rational, making an argument based on facts. Others feel more comfortable staying within the emotional realm, convincing people through anecdotes. Then there are the data nerds, poring over spreadsheets with numbers and graphs. Or the allegorical folks, telling an analogous story, like a fable from ancient times with a hidden, deeper meaning.
But sometimes, none of the above works. People won’t listen and they won’t come around to your point of view. That is when the best course of argumentation is one you must do sitting down.
When in doubt, block traffic. Preferably a major artery like a bridge or tunnel, in the middle of the day when lots of ordinary people are going about their normal routine. There is nothing like sitting in a throng of cascading car horns to make you reconsider your priors. Because horrendous, man-made traffic gives you plenty of time to think.
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