The Best Policy

How many times have all of us been told that "honesty is the best policy?" Whatever the number might be, my guess is it awfully close to the number of times we as adults have shared that axiom with our children. We seek to drive home the meaning of this statement because we believe it to be true. As a result, we want those who follow, including our children, to believe it, too. We want them to practice it and use it as a North Star in their own lives as they contend with life's challenges. No matter the circumstances, we want them to be honest and align themselves to all that is true regardless of how difficult it may be at times.

I express all this fully aware of the irony in which it is steeped. Let me explain. Communication represents the act of exchange with another via verbal and/or non-verbal actions. It can be done in a number of way, including words, spoken or written, facial expressions, or gestures. The act of public relations adds a layer to such a perspective in that it represents communication with a specific purpose. Generally, this purpose can be to persuade, inform, influence, or alter another's attitude. Given that, does communication or public relations need honesty to occur or, perhaps more to the point, be effective?

The answer to that is "no." Liars can be just as effective in their attempts to communicate as tellers of the truth. Perhaps even more so. In the realm of public relations, putting forth falsehoods is an effective way to sway others. Without question, this is most unfortunate. What is also sadly true is that efforts to purposely deceive or mislead occur all the time in our world. At times, even folks who are genuinely honest contribute to that reality. All of us, including those who are not what I term "professional communicators," need to continue clinging to that age-old best policy: honesty. It is the only way to ensure our acts of communication are as good as they should be.