Lying liars
We each have a gut response that can help us detect B.S. But now we have some science to assist. This study focused on executives on earnings conference calls, but the same kinds of traits appear in many public (and not so public) addresses.
The authors write, "Deceptive bosses, it transpires, tend to make more references to general knowledge (“as you know…”), and refer less to shareholder value (perhaps to minimise the risk of a lawsuit, the authors hypothesise). They also use fewer “non-extreme positive emotion words”. That is, instead of describing something as “good”, they call it “fantastic”. The aim is to “sound more persuasive” while talking horsefeathers."
Think about it. When was the last time you saw an "as you know" in an email? Or heard about a "fantastic" program being rolled out via an employee "all hands"? Well, now you know what those phrases mean.
(http://www.economist.com/node/16847818?fsrc=scn%2Ffb%2Fwl%2Far%2Fwhenyourbossislying)
The authors write, "Deceptive bosses, it transpires, tend to make more references to general knowledge (“as you know…”), and refer less to shareholder value (perhaps to minimise the risk of a lawsuit, the authors hypothesise). They also use fewer “non-extreme positive emotion words”. That is, instead of describing something as “good”, they call it “fantastic”. The aim is to “sound more persuasive” while talking horsefeathers."
Think about it. When was the last time you saw an "as you know" in an email? Or heard about a "fantastic" program being rolled out via an employee "all hands"? Well, now you know what those phrases mean.
(http://www.economist.com/node/16847818?fsrc=scn%2Ffb%2Fwl%2Far%2Fwhenyourbossislying)