Don’t steamroll, and go easy on the stats: how to win an argument – without making things worse

An MP, a standup comic, a barrister, a divorce expert and a debating coach give tips on the art of debate - and why you need to listen, not just argue

Whether or not history will determine that we are living in an ever more divided culture, it certainly feels that way. Perhaps there is just more to argue about when facing a never-ending Ninja Warrior course of crises. The culture wars, meanwhile, strip words of their meaning and debates of their nuance, further pitting communities, generations, families and friends against each other.

Among the many casualties of this 21st-century slanging match is - arguably - the art of debate itself. So how do you win an argument in such fractious times without fuelling division? And if arguing is indeed an art, what can we learn from its masters?