First mistake in debate:
a) Assume the other party is stupid.
If you do that, you never leave the starting gate.
But if you assume the other party is intelligent – or more so, MORE intelligent than you, and watching you dance around like mice on a hot plate, you can make progress.
I assume every person I talk to is more intelligent than me. If I see signs of stupidity, I assume I’m being tested by a master.
Even if they are NOT a master, it doesn’t matter. I always walk away learning something.
But that’s my process. Everybody has a process that works for them.