[roenxi]

The situation is much more complicated than can be dealt with by a single strategy. Human group discourse is a bit of a hydra where most individual people employ a single strategy but any strategy has its time and place and the group elevates speakers based on the moment. Eg, in an executive setting (military, business) there often isn't time or need to convince everyone. If you have a person who is consistently right, they should be in charge and they probably have a habit of telling other people they are wrong. In an academic setting it gets more extreme, incorrect arguments have to be just flat out demolished. There can't be tolerance for untruths in an academic setting or the academic culture collapses. And yet both cultures will also have extreme diplomats who just refuse to argue and sometimes get given the spotlight when it seems appropriate.

Broadly speaking "Don't tell someone they're wrong." is an effective high-status technique. But it also degenerates badly towards groupthink and tolerance of damaging idiocy if that is the only tactic acceptable to a group of people. There needs to be diversity.

[falcolas]

Fair enough. I can certainly agree with the idea of tailoring your speech to your audience.