Short excerpt from a TJ Walker live-stream (The Habit Influencer) offering advice on responding to challenges or debate questions. Walker emphasizes maintaining poise, pausing to think, returning to core messages, and avoiding visible nervousness rather than trying to deliver a quick witty retort.
Chapters
What is the best way to quickly come up with rebuttals? If you're speaking, it's a debate or someone challenges you or ask a question, the thing to keep in mind is you don't have to have a quick one liner that has everyone laughing and the person who challenged you is slinking away. It doesn't have to be like that. Other than the movies, the main thing is look poised, look calm. Don't look like what do I say? Don't panic. People will notice that. Also realize what seems like forever for you trying to think of something may only be a second or two. So don't be afraid to pause to think. Don't look flustered. Oftentimes the best thing is to just go back to one of your core messages about why you think what you're doing is the right thing, and that obliquely addresses the issue brought up by the other person, the debater or the questioner. There's no one perfect answer, but if you look nervous, uncomfortable or rattled, that is what people will remember, and that won't help at all.