You know that friend, the one who always has a counterargument, an obscure factoid, or tidbit they throw out; the one who’s always looking for a drop-the-mic type moment – the devil’s advocate in all situations. Their comments always sound something like, “I read this article once…” or “This survey actually showed that…” or “Despite the common assumption…” The friend that has a hand full of these trump cards he or she is always ready to drop.

I hope my friends aren’t reading this because they might tell you that I’m “that guy.” 🙂

Nonetheless, dealing with these folks can be quite exhausting, but you’ll often find their rebuttals are weak. They rely on a single data point that can typically be questionable or skewed. Often using a statistic in isolation without context or interpretation.

Links mentioned in this episode: