Developed by Stephen Toulmin (The Uses of Argument, 1958).
Breaks an argument into claim, data, warrant, backing, qualifier, and rebuttal, showing exactly which link is weak or missing.
When to reach for it
When drafting or attacking a strategy memo, board paper, or negotiating position, and the reasoning has to hold up against a skeptic.
How it runs
- State the claim precisely.
- List the data offered in support.
- Say the warrant aloud: the rule linking data to claim.
- Give the backing for the warrant.
- Qualify the claim's strength and list the rebuttals.
- Ask whether a skeptic would accept the warrant.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- The Uses of Argument, 1958