Transcript: Discussion Tactics
Video begins with a woman (Katie) sitting on a couch reading a book, with other books piled next to her. A man (Chad) walks in and speaks to her.
Audio:
Chad: What'cha looking for?
Katie: [not looking up from book] Evidence.
Chad: Evidence? For what? Did someone commit a crime?
Katie: [still not looking up] Only your fashion designer.
Chad: [looks down at his brightly patterned shirt] Hey! Come on, now!
Katie: Evidence is what we use to support our claims. [Those words appear above her.] For example [looking at Chad], if I wanted evidence to support my claim that a fashion disaster is happening in our midst, I could simply use this shirt as evidence. [The word "evidence" appears next to Chad, with arrow pointing to his shirt.]
Chad: [facing viewers] Knowing how to use evidence and examples to support your thoughts will help you not only in discussions, but also in assignments, conversations, and in any situation when you want to convince someone that your thoughts are worth considering. [He turns back to face Katie.]
Katie: Yeah, I know that already.
Chad: I was talking to them. [He indicates viewers.]
Katie: [facing viewers] So how do you use evidence to support your thoughts? Well, let's see! [She holds up a magnifying glass before her eye.]
[The picture dissolves, and a slide whistle is heard. With a pop, the screen returns to the previous scene. Katie is looking above the couch at a sentence reading, "There aren't enough female lead characters in superhero movies."]
Katie: Wow! That is so true! There aren't enough female lead characters in superhero movies!
Narrator: She's agreeing with the claim! [This text appears on-screen next to an arrow pointing to Katie.]
Chad: Oh, girl, please . . . I disagree.
Katie: What about that movie that just came out last week, Q-Men? There were 12 male superheroes and only 2 female ones!
Narrator: She's using evidence from the movie to support her claim! [This text appears on-screen next to an arrow pointing to Katie.]
Chad: You're ridiculous. Who cares what you think?
Katie: [to viewers] He wasn't very respectful, was he?
[Katie beckons offscreen. A female cartoon superhero flies across the screen at Chad, and video cuts to an explosive "Pow!" Cuts back to Katie on couch. Chad enters from offscreen, brushing himself off.]
Chad: O.K., O.K., my bad. I'm sorry — I see your point. There are only two female superheroes in the movie, but there are other female characters, like Greta Greatness and Molly Mathlete.
Narrator: He responded respectfully to his friend's point and gave evidence to support his own claim! [This text appears on-screen next to an arrow pointing to Chad.]
Katie: True, there are other female characters, but they're not as important or cool as the male characters. It's unbalanced! Compare it to . . . The Retaliators. That had a lot more female lead characters to balance things out.
Narrator: More evidence, and even a comparison piece of evidence! [This text appears on-screen next to an arrow pointing to Katie.]
Chad: You know, The Retaliators did have a better balance. And I hadn't really noticed it before, but now, I'll have to agree.
[Text replaces video.]
On-Screen Text:
Remember:
Use evidence to support claims
Use evidence when refuting claims
Evidence from other sources makes your arguments stronger
