2. An Argument Should Never Last More Than Two Minutes.
That’s a generous one-minute for each party to state his case. If it takes any longer than sixty seconds to explain your side of an issue, you either don’t have a good argument or you’re just repeating the same points over and over. It doesn’t matter if the topic is politics, sports, food, art, movies or the best kind of soap. Get your ideas together in your head before your tongue starts rattling around. Sample argument: Which team is better, Mets or Yankees? Even if you speak slowly, this should take all of nine seconds. The Yankees have better pitching, better hitting, a better record and play in a tougher division. The Mets don’t spend as much money as the Yankees but if they did they might have better players and be more competitive. Yankees better. Please don’t argue with me. And if you do, I’m bringing my egg timer.
