FlowTalk: Debate & Argue

Most arguments are lost by people who were right.

FlowTalk is a gym for holding your ground. A motion comes up — your flatmate says the washing-up rota is fine — you make your case, and an opponent argues back with the strongest honest version of the other side. Then a coach debriefs what you actually said.

THE LOOP A motion appears. You make your case. The other side answers back, properly — it concedes a good point out loud and pushes harder as you get better. Six exchanges, then it draws to a close and the coach takes over: what landed, a stronger version of your own argument, the one thing to fix, and four marks — structure, logic, evidence, composure.

Three motions a day is the goal. Hit it and your streak grows. Miss a day and a streak freeze covers you, if you have earned one.

54 MOTIONS, NINE ARENAS Everyday disagreements — the flatmate, the friend who cancels on the day, the relative at Sunday lunch. Work and meetings — the idea shot down in one sentence, the colleague presenting your work, the review line you think is unfair. Money and negotiation — the rent rise, the pay rise, the refund they have refused. Politics, ethics, culture, science — the dinner-table ones, and the low-stakes ones that are perfect practice. Formal debate — opening speeches, thirty-second rebuttal drills, points of information, the summary that weighs instead of repeats. Public speaking — the sixty-second pitch, the Q&A gotcha, the room that has already agreed.

IT ARGUES BOTH SIDES AND TAKES NONE This is the rule the whole app is built on. The opponent argues whichever side you are not on, as well as it can be argued, and never reveals a view of its own. The coach judges the skill, never the position. Five motions deliberately hand you a side rather than letting you pick — including the drill that asks you to make the best possible case for the view you disagree with most. That is where the rep is.

30 DAILY LESSONS, EACH WITH ITS SOURCE One principle a day, and every one names the book or study it distils. Claim, reason, example (Toulmin, 1958). Steelman before you strike (Rapoport's rules, via Dennett). One number, not five (the presenter's paradox — Weaver, Garcia and Schwarz, 2012). Hold them to the claim they actually made (Shackel's motte-and-bailey). Ask what would change their mind (Popper). Own your weakest link before they find it (inoculation theory, McGuire, 1961). Aristotle, Kahneman, Voss, Cialdini, Haidt and Graham are all in there, cited.

EIGHT LEVELS Finding Your Feet, First Word, Making the Case, Rebuttal Ready, Cool Head, Steelmanner, Holds the Room, Unshakeable. Each one names something you can actually do — from stating a claim in one clear sentence to speaking up alone against a room that has already agreed.

ALSO IN HERE Discussions — paste an argument you are really having and get three replies that hold your position without escalating, plus a pre-send check that catches going personal, matching tone with tone, and the apology that concedes everything. Ask your coach — describe a live situation in your own words and get an honest read, a short plan, and one line you could actually say. Practise your own situation — rehearse the real one before it happens. Progress — streak, practice heatmap, per-arena bars, achievements, a wins and reflections journal, and a look back at what you actually wrote. Five languages — English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

FREE, AND PRO Free every day: three motions, the daily lesson, and five on-demand coach assists. Pro removes the daily limits. Pro is tied to your account — if your account already has it, it is active here.

Two minutes a day. So that next time it matters, you have already had the argument.