This is a thought I had after reading some anonymous feedback for this article.

I've decided that the maximally productive argument style differs some by audience size and venue.

When arguing online:

• The argument productivity equation is dominated by bystanders. So offending the person you are responding to is not as much of a loss.

• For distractible Internet users, succinctness is paramount. So it often makes sense to overstate your position instead of using wordy qualifiers. (Note that a well-calibrated person is likely to be highly uncertain.)

When arguing with a few others in meatspace:

• The only way to have a productive argument is for you or one of the others to change their mind.

• And you pay less of a price for qualifiers, since they're going to listen to you anyway.

Thanks for the feedback!