How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 378

like Thai food at all. The food I tried at this one Thai restaurant
just was terrible and I was sick for days.
4. Faulty Analogy: assumes that if two things are alike in some ways,
they must be alike in all ways. Example: Britney Spears and
Christina Aguilera dress the same and sing the same type of
music, so they must have very similar personalities.
5. Faulty Sign: assumes that one event is a reliable predictor of
another. Example: That guy is wearing a big Starter jacket, has a
tattoo, and wears baggy pants. He's probably a gang member.
6. Tautology: defines an argument in a manner that makes it
impossible to disprove. Example: You are a disagreeable person
and, if you disagree with me, it will just prove even more how
disagreeable you are.
7. Appeal to Authority: justifies an argument by citing a famous or
popular person who also supports the argument. Example: Those
shoes are great for Michael Jordan, so they'll be great for me.
8. Slippery Slope: assumes that a particular step invariably leads to
similar steps, culminating with a negative outcome. Example: If I
let one student hand in their paper late, then I'll have to let others
hand theirs in late, too, and before you know it, everyone will be
begging for an extension.
9. Red Herring: attempts to divert attention away from the real issue.
Example: When accused by his wife of cheating at cards, Frank
says, "Nothing I do ever pleases you. I spent a whole week
cleaning out the garage, and then all you did was complain about
how I'd reorganized it."
10. Appeal to Ignorance: uses a person's inability to disprove a claim
as proof that the claim is right. Example: We know there are
people living on other planets in other galaxies because no one
can prove that there are not.
Evidence and Logic
Reasoning is a powerful tool for the mind, but strong, concrete evidence
should be the cornerstone of a logical speech. Evidence not only makes an
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