Anticipating Objections: Strengthening Your Argument Strategy With Prolepsis
- laurabascou
- Jul 10, 2024
- 5 min read
Anyone who wants to convince must always be ready to face objections. But wouldn't it be better to anticipate them altogether?
Indeed, counter-arguing requires careful preparation. So wouldn't it be more effective to anticipate objections even before they are formulated, and thus protect our arguments? This rhetorical strategy is called prolepsis.
Prolepsis consists in formulating the interlocutor's objection in his place, in order to respond to it before it can be stated. It is identified by structures such as: "Of course you will tell me that ... but to that I would reply that ...."; "I hear those who think that ... but don't forget that ...".
The main objective is to deprive the interlocutor of the opportunity to contradict us.
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