Honesty in Communication

The story is told of a major politician in one of our western states who was searching out his ancestry. He comes to find out that his great-great-grandfather had been captured by a bounty hunter and turned over to the sheriff for rustling; he was hanged as a warning to other would-be thieves. When asked by the press about his search, the politician reported, “I discovered that my great-great-grandfather went into business for himself in livestock acquisition. He became quite skilled in this profession and as a result had a very rewarding career. Unfortunately, he died when he fell from a platform that had been erected for a community function. Even after his death, he continued to be cited as an example for other young men of his day.”

Honesty in our communications with others always ranks high in importance and is described as a major key to success, not only in the business world, but just about every aspect of life. People want to know the truth, and for that, honesty is a requirement.

However, honesty is in short supply now-a-days.

It seems that in today’s culture, whether political or business, while it is still wrong to tell a lie, it is perfectly acceptable to “spin” the truth. Using technically accurate words – after all, rustling cattle is a form of “livestock acquisition” – the communicator presents the truth with a spin that favors his viewpoint. Similarly, parsing words in a form of legalese – it depends on what your definition of “is” is – can avoid what the average person would consider to be the truth.

People lie or spin the truth for three basic reasons.

· First, they are afraid of the reactions of those they are addressing: a politician will not be re-elected, a business will suffer a financial set-back, an employee might be fired.

· Second, they want to get ahead: so the prospective employee pads his resume and the business inflates its profits report.

· Third, they want to avoid confrontation: we see this with the little white lies in our personal lives, but also in major distortions of the truth on the job.

But it is this readiness to lie/spin that is tearing apart the very foundations of our society. “How do you know when a politician is lying?” isn’t just a joke, but the common perception of EVERYONE to whom we entrust the government of our nation. The same standard of dishonesty is applicable to corporations, the media, etc., etc., etc. None can be expected to tell the truth.

Why don’t we insist on honesty from everyone, ourselves included? It may be difficult. Several years back I thought I would be an “honest used car salesmen” (they all lie, don’t they?). When showing a car to a perspective buyer, he informed me that he did not want a leased vehicle. My manager literally tore out the portion of the car check that showed the vehicle had been in a lease fleet. As I showed the buyer the altered report, I had to tell them that yes, this had been a lease vehicle. I was looking for another job the next day. But I still think honesty is the best policy!

For twenty-five years Joe C. Fairchild was a public speaker, counselor, and “life-coach.” He has worked with individuals and both small and large groups. Currently semi-retired he is pursuing a life-long interest in writing. Read more of his blogs at CommunicationsJobsBlog.net.