Why Verbal Tee-Ups Like 'To Be Honest' Often Signal Insincerity

WSJ ^ | January 22, 2014 | Elizabeth Bernstein

[TLI]

” we can all agree...”

[SpinnerWebb]

“some would say”... Katie Couric and Matt Lauer

[PeterPrinciple]

I don’t thing there was any insecurity in these verbal tee-ups:

Mat_11:15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Mar_4:9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Mar_4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luk_8:8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luk_14:35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

[PeterPrinciple]

When I tee-up a topic I am giving the person a chance to prepare to hear something I know they won’t like so they won’t react defensively without thinking.

---

I usually begin, “Put on your thinking cap,” but some how that offends most people including some here on FR. I never know why. Were they never issued one? Did they lose it? Or does it hurt when they put it on?

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

“That’s a great question!”

Means that the speaker is fomulating a confusing answer that appears to address the question but will, in post analyssis, reveal that he don’t know WTF he is talking about.

[uncommonsense]

"Let me be perfectly clear.......usually always proceeds another 0bama lie."

I'm just sayin'... ;-)

[OneWingedShark]

> “That’s a great question!”
>
> Means that the speaker is fomulating a confusing answer that appears to address the question but will, in post analyssis, reveal that he don’t know WTF he is talking about.

Not all the time; sometimes, like during a presentation, the question that was asked is the next step/portion of the talk and “that’s a great question” means that both people understand what’s being discussed.

[married21]

“put on your thinking cap” implies that, up to now, the person was just babbling inanely. That’s insulting. How about something like “here’s something to consider...” ?

[don-o]

“I’m not gonna lie...”

A classic. Twenty years ago I hired a contractor to build me a room. EVERY time he said, "I'm going to tell you the truth...", he lied.

[don-o]

I think you should post the non-mobile formatted version of this article.

Let me say this about that. It looks fine to me.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Agreed, unless you are in the political arena. Then it is pure-d obsfuscation.

[B4Ranch]

Trust me, communication is often complicated ....

[clbiel]

” It should be obvious to anyone that.......” (Or)
“ Anyone with half a brains knows......”

[DariusBane]

To be honest with you, i cannot say if communication gets easier the longer you know somebody. Take that anyway you wish.

[PLMerite]

I dated a woman back in the late 80s who loved to say, “we need to talk.” I always got a chill, thinking the subject was going to be a dead rabbit, but it was just her b!tching about some minor thing that I’d done. I learned to hate the phrase for that reason, too.

[x]

Sir Humphrey: "With respect, Minister…"

Jim Hacker: "Don’t use that filthy language to me, Humphrey. I know what ‘with respect’ means in your jargon. It means you're about to suggest anything I suggest is beneath contempt." -- Yes, Minister

[B4Ranch]

I’m not lying, it can be difficult.

[B4Ranch]

Then there’s, “Honest to God”