The document discusses the importance of asking key questions when making decisions by analyzing different types of issues, including potential issues, admitted issues, real issues, and ultimate issues. It provides examples of how to analyze patterns of issues related to costs/benefits, priorities, programs, and continuities. The steps outlined include discovering issues, narrowing issues to ultimate issues, answering the issues to form contentions, and organizing the contentions into a case to support a claim.

1. Issues, Analysis &
Contentions
Understanding
Through
Questioning

2. Importance of Asking Key Questions
Failed to ask a key question
“Do the Japanese have
the type of ovens needed
to bake a cake?”
The Duncan Hines
Japanese Cake Disaster

4. Issues
Questions that need to be
asked and answered
before a decision on a
claim can be made.

5. Characteristics of Issues
to be Relevant
to be Specific
to be phrased as Questions
to be Neutral
Issues Need

6. Types of Issues
Potential All possible questions
Admitted Issues agreed by all
Real Remaining useful issues
Ultimate Final key questions

7. Analysis of Patterns of Issues
Cost/Benefit Which outweighs which?
Priorities What is most important?
Programs Towards program goals
Continuities How claim relates to past
Brainstorming Creatively generating many ideas

8. Analysis of Patterns of Issues
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

9. Analysis of Patterns of Issues
Cost/Benefit
Can we afford purchasing a puppy?
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.
How much will be the vet bills?
How much effort will taking care of the dog be?
Will I have the time to take care of the dog?

10. Analysis of Patterns of Issues
Cost/Benefit
Will the puppy provide companionship?
Will puppy love me when the wife is mad at me?
Will the puppy be fun?
Will the puppy help the kids learn to
appreciate animals?
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

11. Analysis of Patterns of Issues
Priorities
Would the cost of the puppy be more
useful elsewhere?
Is independence and traveling more important
that the enjoyment of a puppy?
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

12. Analysis of Patterns of Issues
Continuities
Have we had a puppy in the past?
Are we a dog family?
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

13. Analysis of Patterns of Issues
Brainstorming
Would purchasing a puppy get us out of the
house more?
Would we be better off with a cat?
Do we have enough room outside for a dog?
Would the dog ruin our backyard?
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

14. Types of Issues
Potential
Admitted
Real
Ultimate
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

15. Creating Contentions
Ultimate
Do we have enough room outside for a dog?
Have we had a puppy in the past?
Will a puppy love me when the wife is mad at me?
Can we afford purchasing a puppy?
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

16. Creating Contentions
The reasons why we accept
or reject the claim
or
Contentions are
answered issues

17. Creating Contentions
Originate from your ultimate issues
They are like the topic sentence of
your paragraph
Structure your argument

18. Creating Contentions
Ultimate
Do we have enough room outside for a puppy?
Have we had a puppy in the past?
Will a puppy love me when the wife is mad at me?
Can we afford purchasing a puppy?
We have always had a puppy.
We can afford a puppy.
We have enough room outside for a puppy.
A puppy will always love me.
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

19. Creating Contentions
Case: An organized series of contentions
“I will argue that we should purchase a
puppy for four reasons.”
We have always had a puppy.
We can afford a puppy.
We have enough room outside for a puppy.
A puppy will always love me.
Claim: We should purchase a puppy.

20. Remember the Steps
Discover useful issues through
analysis and brainstorming
Narrow the issues to the Ultimate Issues
Answer the issues
Organize the issues into a case
State the answers as your contentions

21. Now We Can Try This
2. Discover a list of at least 10 issues
Discover and Use Issues on a Decision
3. Reduce the list of issues to 2 or 3 ultimate issues
1. Write a decision you might make.
4. Change the ultimate issues to contentions
Remember: make your issues specific not vague

22. The One Remaining Issue
What is our homework assignment?
2. Discover a list of at least 7 issues
Discover and Use Issues on a Decision of Yours
3. Reduce the list of issues to 2 or 3 ultimate issues
1. Write a decision you are or might make.
4. Change the ultimate issues to contentions
Remember: make your issues specific not vague