“There are some that only employ words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts.” Voltaire
This is such a fantastic quote to remember when listening to others speak, especially politicians, leaders, anyone, really, who is trying to influence you in some way. It’s at times like these that our “radar” should be switched on and much attention should be given to the other person’s body language, whether or not they maintain eye contact with you in a way that feels natural, as well as the flow, cadence, and inflection of their speech. This still is not fool-proof and what I always resort to is the person’s example. If you don’t know them well enough to form your own opinion on this, then you should start digging—the Internet, people you know and trust who know the person in question, past interviews, or speeches the person has given, or interviews with them that have been published. Your opinion is a valuable thing. If it weren’t, people would not be trying to influence you, so you owe it to yourself to be sure, to the best of your ability, that when you allow yourself to be influenced, it’s for the right reasons.
Till next time…
