Debating stupid claims, outside the net

[Darth Wong]

Style over Substance is one of the worst fallacies

Yet as this thread shows, it's a winner in face-to-face debates.

So any tips that don't rely on rhetorical skills, fallacies and whatnot? We've had humour etc earlier on in the thread, but any other tips?

It's really hard to recommend tactics for debating against a skilled, experienced public debater effectively that are also impeccably honest. Public debating is a circus and that isn't going to change. The only way to elevate the level of discourse is to demand a written debate.