ABSTRACT
Lying simply undermines persuasion and communication. However, lying can sometimes be more than just not telling the truth. When people testify in a court of law, not only do they swear to tell the truth, but they swear to tell the whole truth. if we don’t provide those that we’re trying to
persuade with the whole truth, we are still lying. Any time we intentionally or unintentionally leave out information or fail to disclose our motives, we are lying. Now that we have talked about lying, let’s talk about the truth and the characteristics of the truth. t elling the truth is not only telling someone what you know, but it’s also being up-front about the things that you don’t know. You want to make sure that your facts are truly facts. You want to make honesty a priority in your personal policy. t his will lead to a very important outcome, which is reliability. When people view you as being reliable, you must maintain this view by being consistent. Reliability, like reputation, can take a lifetime to build and only seconds to destroy. Another term that’s important to your study of the ethical dimensions of persuasion is motives. Anytime that you’re trying to persuade someone, or someone is persuading you, you should question your motives as well as the motives of others. What is it that you’re hoping to gain by persuading others? Do you desire money, such as a commission, or are you just trying to promote good? if you examine motives, you can immediately grade yourself and others on an ethical scale.
