The Other Side

Do your arguments stack up to what the other side is coming at you with? You had better be prepared for what they are bringing otherwise your argument is lost.

Here's a good guage of how you know where the holes are in your argument -

1) What would you say to shoot down your arguments? Yeah not that creative, but its where you stard. follow it up closely with what your peers would say.

2) What's been said in the past? Has the issue been addressed before? if so what was raised and how could you adress those issues? Did those old arguments expose new holes?

3) Are they giving you their game plan? If you know who is coming out against you, do they post their materials online? You'd be surprised at how transparent even the most seemingly sophisticated groups are when it comes to their advocacy strategy. Use it against them if you can.

3) What does the average person say? take your issue to a friend who doesnt have much of an opinion on your issue, they are most likely to theow you the curveball that will catch you off guard.

Know your issue, know your weaknesses, know your opportunities, and try to prepare for the inttangible... from there you will have a successful strategy.