Argumentation
Claim, counterclaim, response
Show that the opposing case has been genuinely weighed.
The shape
- Claim
- Counterclaim
- Response
Why that order
Raising the strongest objection yourself is what demonstrates you have thought about it. Waiting for somebody else to raise it makes the whole argument look thinner than it is.
A worked example
- Claim
- We should delay the launch.
- Counterclaim
- The delay affects the customer's planned rollout.
- Response
- That is a real cost, but launching with the current payment risk creates a larger customer impact.
What usually goes wrong
Choosing a weak counterclaim you can knock down. Everybody notices.
Mostly serves Message, and reaches into Connection.
A framework tells you what shape the answer takes. It cannot tell you whether shape is what you are short of, and for most people it is not. Which one is yours, and whether a framework is the right instrument at all, is what a Discovery Call is for.
Take the AssessmentOr read the whole glossary first.