---
schema: "bureau.tool/v1"
id: bureau-tool-015
title: "The Contrary Margin"
type: "Template"
time: "5–15 minutes"
source: "https://thefantasticbureau.com/briefs/give-the-machine-a-bad-paragraph/"
publisher: "The Bureau of Fantastic Strategy"
---

# The Contrary Margin

## What it does

A position with a visible burden of proof, rather than a fluent answer with no owner.

## Use when

A team has a promising strategic position but cannot yet say what evidence would make it change its mind.

## Give it

- One unfinished 120-word position.
- The decision it is meant to guide.
- The best available evidence and known constraints.

## Copy this

Act as a rigorous research assistant, not an author of strategy.

Read the unfinished position, decision, evidence, and constraints below. First identify the exact claim being made. Then test it against the supplied evidence and, where necessary, credible primary or authoritative sources. Do not invent facts, customer views, quotations, studies, or citations. Clearly label assumptions, uncertainty, and any evidence you could not verify.

Return:
1. a one-sentence statement of the position;
2. the strongest credible counterargument;
3. evidence that supports, contradicts, or is missing for the claim;
4. a revised version under 120 words that keeps the decision visible;
5. one small test that could change our mind.

UNFINISHED POSITION:
[PASTE HERE]

DECISION:
[PASTE HERE]

EVIDENCE AND CONSTRAINTS:
[PASTE HERE]

## You will receive

- A revised strategic position.
- A short list of evidence gaps and counterarguments.
- One next test that could change the decision.

---
Filed in The Cabinet of Useful Things · https://thefantasticbureau.com/instruments/