To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.
Interpretation
Persuasion relies on credibility, which stems from truthfulness.
This quote emphasizes the importance of truthfulness in effective communication. To persuade others, one must first be seen as credible, and this credibility is fundamentally built upon a foundation of honesty and trustworthiness, suggesting that the practice of being truthful is essential to influencing others effectively.
In practice
In a debate setting, one might quote this to emphasize the need for honesty.
We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them.
One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles.
Speaking of Sir Winston Churchill: He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.
We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.
I like getting to the meat of things. You can't get it in a five-minute interview. I like to hone a person. I like to make eye contact.
I learned to write because I am one of those people who somehow cannot manage the common communications of smiles and gestures, but must use words to get across things that other people would never need to say.
There is a silence that matches our best possibilities when we have learned to listen to others. We can master the art of being quiet in order to be able to hear clearly what others are saying. . . . We need to cut off the garbled static of our own preoccupations to give to people who want our quiet attention.
So if you aspire to be a good conversationali st, be an attentive listener.
I passionately believe that's it's not just what you say that counts, it's also how you say it - that the success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it.
In communications, familiarity breeds apathy.
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