Refutation & ConcessionAnswering the other side without pretending it has nothing.Communications & MediaHow to handle an opposing point.1State it fairlyIn a form its holders would accept. Anything less is a straw man.2Concede what is trueGrant the part that stands. It costs nothing and buys credibility.3Locate the disagreementFact, definition, quality or policy. Name which one.4Refute preciselyAttack the weak premise or warrant, not the whole position atonce.5Show the balanceExplain why what remains still favours your conclusion.Raising the strongest objection yourself is stronger than ignoring it.Readers who think of it first will assume you had no answer.Refutation & Concessionlearnposters.com
Refutation & Concession — printable humanities wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Refutation & Concession, step by step

How to handle an opposing point.

  1. State it fairlyIn a form its holders would accept. Anything less is a straw man.
  2. Concede what is trueGrant the part that stands. It costs nothing and buys credibility.
  3. Locate the disagreementFact, definition, quality or policy. Name which one.
  4. Refute preciselyAttack the weak premise or warrant, not the whole position at once.
  5. Show the balanceExplain why what remains still favours your conclusion.

Raising the strongest objection yourself is stronger than ignoring it. Readers who think of it first will assume you had no answer.

Questions about the Refutation & Concession poster

What’s on the Refutation & Concession poster?
5 numbered steps. How to handle an opposing point. State it fairly — In a form its holders would accept. Anything less is a straw man.; Concede what is true — Grant the part that stands. It costs nothing and buys credibil…; Locate the disagreement — Fact, definition, quality or policy. Name which one.; Refute precisely — Attack the weak premise or warrant, not the whole position at once.; Show the balance — Explain why what remains still favours your conclusion.. Raising the strongest objection yourself is stronger than ignoring it. Readers who think of it first will assume you had no answer.
Who is the Refutation & Concession poster for?
Refutation & Concession belongs to the Communications & Media section rather than to a school year, because humanities is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning rhetoric & argument can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Refutation & Concession poster?
When your argument has an obvious objection that readers will think of anyway. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Refutation & Concession belongs on the wall where that humanities work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Refutation & Concession?
Kinds of Claim, The Five Canons and Deduction & Induction sit alongside Refutation & Concession in the Communications & Media section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Kinds of ClaimThe Five CanonsDeduction & Induction
Is the Refutation & Concession poster free to download and print?
Yes. Refutation & Concession downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Communications & Media section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Refutation & Concession poster print at?
Refutation & Concession is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Refutation & Concession loses nothing.Printing guide

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