8
Secret #4: The Power
of the Simple Truth
PowerPhrases Say
What You Mean
61When a politician answers “No comment” to a question posed
by a reporter, chances are if he or she were more honest, the
response would have been, “I haven’t decided what my opinion
is. I haven’t read the polls yet.” Politicians are often accused of
saying what their constituents want to hear and not saying what
they mean. Many people have suggested that Al Gore lost the
2000 presidential election because he changed his positions on
issues based on polls of voters.
Politicians aren’t the only ones who do this. There is a joke
about an employer who interviewed several accountants by ask-
ing, “What is one plus two?” The candidate who got the job
was the one who answered, “What do you want it to be?”
You do need to consider how your words will be interpreted.
But don’t be so concerned with how others will respond that
Copyright © 2004 by Meryl Runion. Click here for terms of use.