Hard Truth

By now, everyone knows James Bond prefers his martinis "shaken not stirred." In this time of the global pandemic known as the coronavirus, it is becoming more and more clear that people prefer the truth neither shaken nor stirred. Instead they prefer it straight and without any sugar-coating. Yesterday, at the most recent press conference at the White House on the virus, President Trump and his team put forward the very sobering projection that before this health crisis is over, it is projected that over 100,000 people may die from this disease. The prospect of this harsh reality, to say the least, is enough to give any one pause.

Generally, the overall reaction to such a prospect has not been one of anger or denial. Rather, people seem to be appreciating the candor put forth by the White House. For weeks now we have been told that the coronavirus is serious and not to be taken lightly. At the same time, such statements have been diluted by those, including President Trump, who have been saying that within a matter of weeks they will be getting the virus under control and, as a result, people will be able to resume to their normal lives. Up till now, their reassurances have been met with a great deal of skepticism. Since this new revelation, more and more doubters are being turned believers.

The transformation, which continues, demonstrates the power of the truth. This is a great real-life lesson to all professional communicators, including those who speak to the public on a regular basis as well as "regular folks" whose audience at any given time is within single digits. Not only do people dislike being showered with falsehoods, they actually prefer the truth regardless of how unpleasant it might be. The best kind of communicating is where there is no deviation from the truth. The worst kind is one that is as far removed from honesty as possible. Such a fundamental hard-truth should never be ignored by all communicators everywhere.