You Wouldn't Think of Lying, Would You?

People often exaggerate to make a good strong point or story. A friend of mine opened the lid to the toilet bowl in her bathroom to discover a swimming squirrel. Slamming the lid down, she called a pest control rep to the rescue. And it was amazing, she later acknowledged, how large that squirrel was when she first saw it as compared to how small it was when the pest control representative actually pulled it out.

Likewise in a serious business setting, lying happens in numerous ways. What is the difference between lies, half truths, omissions, and cover-ups? True—but incomplete—statements can lead to false conclusions; literal truth, when offered without complete explanation, can lead to literal lies. Knowing smiles accompanied by long silences can elicit wrong conclusions. Intentions stand center stage here. Ultimately, questionable intentions in our communications cast doubt about character and culture—ours and that of our organization.

There are other ways to lie unintentionally—outdated data, opinions, and stereotypes. With information overload, data more than two or three years old can’t support your decisions or product designs. Correct, but outdated, statistics soon become incorrect. Consequently, we have to recollect. Re-survey. Retest. Stay current.

Sometimes the better we understand something the worse job we do in explaining it; our familiarity makes us careless in describing it. It’s difficult to remember when we didn’t know something that has become second nature. Ambiguity creeps in when we least expect it. Meanings depend on context, tone, timing, personal experience, and reference points. Back in the days when copier equipment was said to “burn copies,” an Army colonel hand-carried an important document to his new assistant and asked her to burn a copy. When the paper did not resurface on his desk in a few days, he discovered that the assistant had recently transferred from a high-security division. She had had the document incinerated. The best test of clarity is the result you see.

Doublespeak is that intentional gobbledygook meant to obscure rather than enlighten, convoluted details and irrelevant facts simmered together to make mush for the ear. We all know it when we hear it.

A financial consultant related this situation to me about her firm: “We have two boilerplate formats for our reports to clients. When we go into banks and find several ways we can help them, we use the first format. That report gives our findings and list of recommendations right up front. But if we go into banks and can’t find much wrong—we don’t have many recommendations for improvements and have charged them a big fee for the audit—then we use the second boilerplate. We begin the report with background on our company, the credentials of our auditors, the various audit procedures used, and then we finally get around to the findings and recommendations.” She ended with, “But I don’t think we fool anybody.” She’s right. Purposeful gobbledygook only brings into question one’s intentions.

As people of integrity, we need to put aside lying—in all its forms. Our challenge is to be complete, be current, and be clear. The result? Credibility.

ARTICLE TAGLINE FOR DIANNA BOOHER

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© Dianna Booher, Booher Consultants, Inc.
Author of 42 books (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, Warner, and McGraw-Hill), Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence®, Your Signature Life®, Your Signature Work®, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence®. For more information on Dianna and her programs, visit www.diannabooher.com or contact her firm, Booher Consultants, Inc., at 800-342-6621.

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