The Toulmin method not only provides us with a great set of mind tools but also teaches us how to communicate. It gives us a sense of clarity when we aren’t sure whether to believe everything we see or interact with online. It clears things up when we follow the steps and understand why all of it is important, not just evidence or not just reasoning. The method contains 6 moving parts that are needed when trying to perfect your argument or convey your message. These include claim, data, warrant, backing, qualifier, and rebuttal. If you want your argument, discussion, debate or social media interactions to flourish and make others understand the ways you may be feeling this is a great method to use.
When you make a claim, you are creating a statement that you believe to be true or valid. But not everyone may feel this way or agree with you. That is why we need to bring in data. Data shows the reader that there have been tests, other articles or assessments done on the topic that came from other scholars or other people. This creates a sense of trust because not only have you done your research on the topic but then the reader is hearing from your point of view and another person's point of view. As we continue to go down Toulmin’s method we can see that each step is necessary when you are trying to catch someone's attention, keep them hooked and hopefully you will see a positive response. Maybe a debate will be formed.
If you were to use this method in an online setting it would surely create a reaction. You could use this method to portray certain government leaders as good or bad depending on how you view them. You could use it to argue which car in 2024 is the safest. You could use it to argue whether we should be using AI technology or not, etc… If you were to claim, “Artificial intelligence is affecting how students in the classroom interact with one another and how they learn.” And then find the data to support your claim, find a warrant that reasons your claim, back up your claim with evidence, etc.. Then your argument would be really strong and there wouldn’t be much room for error within your claim.
Now that we have gone over the many positives and benefits of using Toulmin’s method lets go over some of the cons. Because there are so many steps required to create a professional argument it creates information overload. If you aren’t careful you could be exhausting the reader by just looking at your statement. Or another problem that could arise is echo chambers. This is where people only look at your content if they agree with what you are saying. And sometimes starting with a claim can get people to skip over what it is you wrote about. Sometimes people won’t even stick around to see what you have to say.
You may be wondering how one can navigate through all of this information and use Toulmin’s method correctly so your audience listens. Well I do believe that Toulmin’s method will get your point across perfectly and it will leave your audience with probably minimal questions due to all of your points and reasoning. But it is important to really engage with your audience and try to understand others' ideas just like you wish others would try and understand yours. Make your points concise and to the point and people will listen. When you do this people not only will you be critically thinking but also allowing others to also critically think as well. Critical thinking within Toulmin’s method is crucial. It is what makes someone dive deeper and creates a space for reasoning and understanding. We all need it in order to listen and hone in on others opinions. And similarly, when we do all of this we will be learning information literacy too because it helps us to make decisions about whether to listen to someone or not. It helps us to become better problem solvers especially when it comes to debates or arguments.
Because we are in the digital age it is not always easy to put your thoughts out there because you are scared of what others may think of you. But with Toulmin’s method you can be more confident knowing that you are showing others exactly what you are thinking and feeling. It provides people with confidence and helps everyone to think more critically.
The video below dives deeper into what critical thinking is! You should check it out!
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