Seduction Of The Anecdote: 8 Steps To Trust Your Gut, Presidential Debates 2012 Edition

15 january 2013

 

If I tell you some news, and then you hear the same news from one or two others, at some point, you might believe it is a fact, and then you repeat it. You have been seduced by the anecdote*.

As we dive into the deep end of the presidential election “pool,” where will you find your truth? So many speeches, so few fact checks. So many talk radio programs, so few original opinions.

Let’s explore some ideas for raising the level of trusting your gut, your intuition and eventually your brain.

1. Check your biases at the door. Easier said than done, but worth a try.
2. Turn on the TV.
3. Turn off the sound. Watch the nonverbal expressions. Take notes about what you see. Watch some more and build up your own list of adjectives to describe what you are seeing. Let’s face it; you probably mute the commercials of live TV anyway, so now you have something to do while you are waiting for the program to resume.
4. The 2012 debates will be a great time to test this out. Even if you hate the idea of watching the debate, tune in with the sound off. It may be very entertaining and telling. Think Nixon and Kennedy Debate.  It was 1960 and the first televised** debate.    Of course that was 52 years ago and most of you were not born let alone able to vote. That’s not the point. Click on the Debate link and you’ll a classic example of nonverbal clues the speaker gives you. Even better are the views of the listening debater. You’ll witness with your own eyes why Kennedy won the debate as well as the election. Plus the current day commentary within the link may help you to see through the politician’s words to your perceptions of the candidates.
5. If you’ve ever watched The Mentalist, or the great but cancelled Lie To Me, you’ve seen ways to “see” when people are lying, or perhaps hiding the truth. And, if you’re a parent you may be an excellent judge of when your child is holding back the truth.
6. Check out the words of an FBI Profiler, Joe Navarro by clicking here. He points out that one of the key ways to detect deception is the ability to observe. He notes that part of why we are fascinated with body language is because it unlocks the human code to better understand not only what people are feeling but what they are intending.
7. Lead by example and teach your children. Do this activity together, and involve them in the selection/election process.
8. All of us born in the USA are lucky to live in a country where we are given the right to vote. It is a great privilege. Consider this your invitation to man up, woman up, even kid up and embrace the responsibility to take a stand and cast your vote. Remember that 1960 election, where there was no contest as to who won the debate? It turned out to be one of the closest elections in history. Your vote is important; only you can make it count.

Share your thoughts and voting experience here. Every vote is important.

*Seduction of the anecdote comes from the field of statistics and cohort studies. I couldn’t find a reference to credit with the phrase. If you find one, let me know.