Seminar/ Conference

Presentation

Important Skills – Argumentation & Critical Thinking

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Seminar v/s Conference
• A conference is a formal meeting where people congregate to discuss a
specific area of common interest while a seminar is an educational
forum where members meet to acquire knowledge about a particular
area.
• Seminars take short period because they focus on a specific area while
conferences may last for an extended duration since members discuss
and air their opinion concerning the subject matter.
• There is active participation in a conference where all the participants
are required to give their feelings and opinions about a specific aspect
while seminars offer limited involvement because participants receive
directions from an expert.
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Seminar v/s Conference………………
contd.
• A seminar takes an academic forum where participants acquire skills
and knowledge and are given a certificate while conferences take a
consultative view for discussion and members are not given a
certificate.
• Other differences between conferences and seminars include the
purpose of the meeting and formality among others.

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 Criteria Seminar Conference

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Presentation for Seminar/ Conference
1. Focus on Content. 3. Strategies
• An original idea. • Audience & Locale
• Requires extensive research. • Use of Audio-Visual aids
• Proper collection and analysis of • Use of Non-verbal attributes
data.
4. Use of important Skills
2. Organising content. • Critical Thinking
• Choose an appropriate style. • Argumentation
• An emphatic start.
• An impressive conclusion

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Critical Thinking
• Critical thinking refers to the ability
to analyze information objectively
and make a reasoned judgment.

• It involves the evaluation of sources,

such as data, facts, observable
phenomena, and research findings.

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Top Critical Thinking Skills
• Analysis
• Part of critical thinking is the ability to carefully examine something, whether
it is a problem, a set of data, or a text.
• People with analytical skills can examine information, understand what it
means, and properly explain to others the implications of that information.

• Communication
• Ability to communicate with others and share ideas effectively.
• Need to work with others and communicate effectively to figure out solutions
to complex problems.

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Top Critical Thinking Skills…….contd.
• Creativity
• Critical thinking often involves creativity and innovation.
• To spot patterns in the information or come up with a solution that no one
else has thought of before.
• All of this involves a creative eye that can take a different approach from all
other approaches.

• Open-Mindedness
• Put aside any assumptions or judgments and merely analyze the information
you receive.
• Need to be objective; evaluating ideas without bias.
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Top Critical Thinking Skills…….contd.
• Problem Solving
• Involves analyzing a problem, generating and
implementing a solution, and assessing the
success of the plan.
• Employers don’t simply want employees who
can think about information critically. They also
need to be able to come up with practical
solutions.

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More Critical Thinking Skills
• Inductive Reasoning • Diagnostics
• Deductive Reasoning • SWOT Analysis
• Compliance • Business Intelligence
• Adaptability • Quantitative Data Management
• Emotional Intelligence • Qualitative Data Management
• Brainstorming • Accuracy
• Integration • Risk Management
• Strategic Planning • Statistics
• Case Analysis
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7 Ways to Think More Critically
1. Ask Basic Questions
• Sometimes an explanation becomes so complex that the original question get
lost.
• To avoid this, continually go back to the basic questions you asked when you
set out to solve the problem.

2. Question Basic Assumptions

• Some of the greatest innovators in human history were those who simply
looked up for a moment and wondered if one of everyone’s general
assumptions was wrong.

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7 Ways to Think More
Critically……..contd.
3. Be Aware of Your Mental Processes
• Human thought is amazing, but the speed and automation with which it
happens can be a disadvantage when we’re trying to think critically.
• A critical thinker is aware of their cognitive biases and personal prejudices
and how they influence seemingly “objective” decisions and solutions.

4. Try Reversing Things

• A great way to get “unstuck” on a hard problem is to try reversing things. It
may seem obvious that X causes Y, but what if Y caused X?
• The “chicken and egg problem” a classic example of this.

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7 Ways to Think More
Critically……..contd.
5. Evaluate the Existing Evidence
• When you’re trying to solve a problem, it’s always helpful to look at other
work that has been done in the same area.
• It’s important, however, to evaluate this information critically, or else you can
easily reach the wrong conclusion.

6. Remember to Think for Yourself

• Don’t get so bogged down in research and reading that you forget to think for
yourself–sometimes this can be your most powerful tool.

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7 Ways to Think More
Critically……..contd.
7. Understand That No One Thinks Critically 100%
of the Time
• You can’t think critically all the time, and that’s okay.
• Critical thinking is a tool that you should deploy when
you need to make important decisions or solve
difficult problems, but you don’t need to think
critically about everything.

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Importance of Critical Thinking
• Some professions require it
• Decision-making improves
• Critical thinkers are happier
• Being well-informed is a bonus
• It encourages self-reflection and improves relations
• It bolsters the knowledge economy; Well informed

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 Argumentation Skills

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Argumentation Skills
• Argumentation is the thought process used to develop and present
arguments.
• It is closely related to critical thinking and reasoning.
• An essential 21st century cognitive skills.
• The term argument refers to "a reasoned attempt to convince the
audience to accept a particular point of view about a debatable topic.“
• “An argument is constituted by two or more explicit and/or implicit
claims, one or more of which supports or provides evidence for the
truth or merit of another claim, the conclusion.” (T. Edward Damer)

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Characteristics
• An argument consists of a conclusion and one or more premises, or
claims.
• Not irrational
• Does not depend strictly on passion or emotion
• Represents a "reasoned attempt"
• Based on careful thinking and planning
• Appeal is to the mind, the intellect of the
audience.

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Importance
Formality of an Argument
varies based upon the
formality of a situation.

•Home - Informal
•Office –Formal
•Courtroom- Highly Formal

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Types of Argument
• General –
• Informal
• No special skill is required
• But should be factual & reasonable
• Ex – Argument with a friend or a family member
• Specialised
• Usually formal
• Requires knowledge of rules.
• Ex- Argument as a part of a Jury Member

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Principles
• The five principles for developing a good argument:

1. Structure
2. Relevance
3. Acceptability
4. Sufficiency
5. Rebuttal

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1. Structure
• A good argument must meet the fundamental structural requirements of
a well-formed argument.
• To evaluate any argument for whether it violates the principle
of Structure, ask the following questions:
• Does the communication include at least one reason to support the conclusion
as being true? If it doesn’t, then it’s not an argument — it’s merely an opinion.
• Could any of the key premises be interpreted as making the same claim as the
conclusion? If so, then it’s a “circular argument”. “Joe is nuts,” Gary says. “Why do
you say that?” I ask. “Because he’s so crazy,” Gary replies. Since A, therefore A.
• Do any of the premises contradict another premise, or does the conclusion
contradict any of the premises?

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2. Relevance
• The reasons that a communicator provides as part of his or her
argument must be relevant for the truth or merit of the conclusion.
• To assess whether an argument violates the principle of Relevance,
ask these two questions:
• If the premise were true, does it make you more likely to believe that the
conclusion is true? If yes, the premise is probably relevant. If no, then the
premise is probably not relevant.
• Even if the premise were true, should it be a consideration for accepting the
truth of the conclusion? If no, then the premise is probably not relevant.
“Jerry is over 6 ft. tall. So he must be good at basketball.” “Avatar is an artistic
masterpiece. After all, it was the highest grossing film of the year.”

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3. Acceptability
• A premise should be acceptable to a mature, rational adult.
• To assess whether an argument violates the principle of Acceptability,
ask the following questions:
• Is the premise provided one that a mature, rational adult would likely
accept?
• What evidence is provided as part of the claim, and does it conform to the
standards of acceptability or the conditions of unacceptability?
• Is the premise based on an unstated assumption that a mature, rational
adult not be willing to accept?

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4. Sufficiency
• A communicator making an argument should provide reasons that are
sufficient to justify the acceptance of his or her conclusion.
• To evaluate whether an argument violates the principle of Sufficiency, ask
the following questions:
• Are the reasons provided enough to drive to the arguer’s conclusion?
• Is the premise based on insufficient evidence or faulty causal analysis? Some
premises provide evidence that is based on too small a sample or unrepresentative
data. Or the evidence is based on the personal experience of the arguer, or of a small
set of acquaintances that the arguer knows. The premise may be based on faulty
causal analysis — assuming A caused B, even though the two events were unrelated.
• Is some key or crucial evidence missing that must be provided in order to accept
the argument?

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5. Rebuttal
• A good argument includes an effective rebuttal to all anticipated
serious criticisms of the argument.
• To assess whether an argument fails to meet the Rebuttal principle,
ask the following questions:
• Does the argument provided address the strongest counterarguments
effectively?
• Does the arguer anticipate and address serious weaknesses in the
argument?
• Does the argument show why alternative positions are flawed?

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Suggestions for Stronger Argument
• Structure: Explicitly call out your conclusion and the supporting
reasons, so that they are easy to recognize and follow.
• Make explicit any key assumptions that you’re using.
• Ensure that your premises
• (1) do not contradict each other or the conclusion
• (2) do not assume the truth of the conclusion.
• Relevance: Ensure that all materials you’re presenting as part of your
argument are relevant. Don’t weaken your argument by including
irrelevant premises.

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Suggestions for Stronger
Argument…..contd.
• Acceptability: Whenever possible, substitute less controversial claims
for more controversial ones.
• Soften, if possible, any absolute claims to make them more acceptable.
(e.g. “most politicians” instead of “all politicians”)
• Don’t use highly questionable evidence or assumptions.

• Sufficiency: Continue adding relevant premises if they contribute to the

number and weight of the reasons that drive to your conclusion.
• Put yourself in your audience’s place, and ask if the reasons are
sufficient to accept your conclusion.
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Suggestions for Stronger
Argument…contd.
• Rebuttal: Be as exhaustive as necessary in your rebuttal.
• Some arguments may need to rebut a single criticism, but more
controversial or divisive issues may require multiple rebuttals.
• Declare up front what the weakest parts of your argument are and
proactively address them to blunt the force of your opponent’s
counterarguments.

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Devices of Argumentation
• Analysis – Analyse the argument.
• Check for evidences, conclusions & assumptions.

• Cohesion – A series of logical reasons to support an idea.

• Start by showing research and giving context for the issue.
• Tools of Cohesion –
• Use of pronouns
• Repetition of key words or phrases
• Use of transitional tags
• Use of parallel grammatical structure

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Devices of
Argumentation……..contd.
• Emphasis –
• Emphasize on key idea.
• Repeat key points throughout the premises to establish connect.

• Critical Thinking –
• Analyse facts to form judgement.
• Rational, sceptical, unbiased analysis of factual evidence.

• Nuances/ Organisation of Content -

• Introduction, Body & Close

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 THANKS

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