Disinformation Or Dat-information? How to Handle Rumors
By Craig Price
I learned long ago, you don't have to believe everything you hear.
I thank my dad for that lesson. Whenever you asked him a straight
question, you rarely got a straight answer. He would just respond with
some of the weirdest things.
He made up answers up just to see how you would react.
One time, when I was six or so, we drove to Florida. Somewhere near
Georgia I saw these long strips on the side of the road. I asked my
dad what they were. They were actually strips of blown tires, but my
dad told me they were 'alligator skins.' He would scientifically
explain, "See an alligator's base core temperature is 78 degrees
and when it gets hotter than that it just peels a layer off and
settles back into the swamp to cool off."
Ok. At six years old and at 60 miles an hour, you'll believe that.
On the other hand, this is the same man who told me yellow snow was
lemon flavored. Trust me, it's not even close. When we finally made it
to Florida, we got to the hotel, he told me the light on the phone
(you know the one that tells you 'you have a message') was for deaf
people. Another simple explanation from my dad, "You see, when
the phone rings, the light blinks and they know when to answer
it."
What?!?
If they can't hear the phone ring, who are they talking to??
Intentionally or not, by doing this, my dad did teach me a valuable
lesson. 'Never take anything at face value.'
Contrary to popular belief, it's okay to be skeptical. I'm sure
most Nigerian princes are wonderful people with generous hearts. Just
not the one that emailed you yesterday. You're not going to strike it
rich stuffing envelopes in your spare time. You can't win a lottery
you didn't enter or even know about. And you can't lose weight without
dieting or exercise. As David Letterman once said, "That just
leaves disease, doesn't it?"
The old adage 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is' is
a perfect example of healthy skepticism and sound negative thinking.
If you don't do your due diligence, you're setting yourself up for
disaster. Here are my three 'L's to follow when you think someone is
spouting odd facts or a rumor:
1. Listen to what they're actually saying. Is the BS meter
going off in your head? That's always your first clue. If someone
tells you something that you feel is just wrong, ask them to repeat
it. Sometimes they 'hear' their own delusional ideas and will change
the information accordingly. People talk faster than they think. If
given a chance to think things over they can then get the actual
information they intended to get out.
2.Learn more about where they got their information. Ask
direct questions. Sometimes the 'facts' they heard are really rumors.
When I hear the "uh...um...someone I know" without the
actual name, I know its baloney. Then you can...
3.Look up their source and verify on your own with others.
Always get an independent verification of any suspect info. It might
still be wrong, but at least you won't be the only one repeating it.
Go to the source, cut through the BS and find the truth.
I can't tell you not to gossip at the office, information is
important in the workplace and you need to know what's going on behind
the scenes. However, you should be cautious, don't just regurgitate
rumors to the next person. Rumors feed off speculation. The less you
know about a rumor, the more it can spin wildly out of control and
grow. You already know it's okay to be skeptical. If someone walks up
to you and says something that sounds outrageously wrong (we have all
worked with someone like this), it's okay to politely nod your head
and still not believe them. The key is to go verify. Like good
journalists are supposed to do, check your sources. Get a second
person, or sometimes a third person, to verify information.
Rumors can be hurtful, incorrect and fun to talk about. All at the
same time! But try not to indulge your inner gossipmonger. It only
leads to trouble.
I'm sure your skeptical about this whole article now aren't you? If
you are, then it's working!
©Craig Price 2009
For more information on professional speaker Craig
Price's negativity based keynotes
and training call
877-572-7890 today or email craig@speakercraigprice.com
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