Precision

In communication, it is said that simplicity, precision, and confidence are key. But does that demand for precision lead us towards lies? People complain about politicians because they lie — yet politicians and executives communicate the way they do because they are taught to project certainty, never to transmit doubt. And that leads to dishonesty.

Why do they do that? Because they have learnt that people prefer certainty. People tend to choose someone who conveys that they know what they are talking about; if someone transmits doubt, people do not believe them. The more honest you are about uncertainty, the less people trust you — and the more you lie with confidence, the more they follow you. But is it not precisely when we reach a higher level of knowledge that we discover our own ignorance? The more we learn, the more aware we become that we know less than we thought. In other words, people who are ignorant of their own ignorance are the most confident about their beliefs.

This behaviour is part of knowing ourselves — both as individuals and as a group. Knowing this, instead of letting ourselves be drawn to whoever speaks with the most certainty, we can pause and think. Perhaps the one who seems not to have all the answers is actually the one who knows most. Perhaps we need to rethink how we communicate: being clear about what we know and honest about what we do not, whilst finding better ways to identify those who lie.