Relating common theoretical models to true-to-life examples from law, ethics, education, and business, the authors stress the importance of argumentation in everyday life as they build reader competence and critical awareness. Critical Thinking and Communication encourages readers to develop skills in both constructing and refuting arguments in a variety of contexts from informal conversations to structured debates. Through exercises and examples, readers learn how to create arguments, developed extended cases, and how to critically understand and interpret them. The Sixth Edition continues to help readers conceptualize argumentation in the larger framework of verbal and written communication, from public speaking and debating to interpersonal, intercultural, and small group communication.