- Length: 3:00 minutes (1.38 MB)
- Format: Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
The "false premise" is well-known to media trainers and other speaking experts. However, when doing a press interview or Wall Street analyst call, it is an easy mistake to make.
What exactly is a false premise? It is a qustion that begins with a premise that the person being interviewed might not agree with. For example, "Why don't you like the New York Yankees?" This question presumes that the person being questioned is not a Yankee fan, which is OK unless he or she is.
If the person being interviewed is, say, running for elected office in the Bronx, allowing this premise to persist might be a disaster.
So, how should one deal with such a question? Simply put, you need to dispute the premise without making the false premise the focus of the discussion -- and, thus, giving it added validity.
For a discussion of exactly how to do this, I've provided an audio post along with this FKCBlog entry. Just click the play button below to hear me go through a false-premise situation in a business setting and just how to deal with it properly. Run time is 3 minutes. (Feel free to provide feedback to this audio post with a comment if you wish.)
Farrell, This sounds pretty
Farrell,
This sounds pretty good! Thought I’d send my comment through the website to try it out.
Best,
Sharon
Hi Farrell, ‘False
Hi Farrell,
‘False Premise’ sounds a lot like what is called a ‘loaded question’ in Critical Reasoning studies. Probably one and the same. Thought of sharing with you one of my favorite examples of a loaded question:
Imagine you are a married man on the stand in court and the prosecutor ask for a yes or no only answer to this question, “Have you stop beating your wife?â€
k5
Yes, it is the same
Yes, it is the same concept.
The “beat your wife†example is also used in journalism schools, as I recall. There, I’ve heard it put forward as an open-ended question to a politician, but the same idea.
Either way, the person is stuck. The politician can admit beating his wife, or end up with a quote something like, “I do not beat my wife,†which itself is pretty guilty-sounding.
The correct response in both cases, of course, is to reject the premise — and make sure not to repeat it when you’re doing so.
Thanks for taking an interest. (FYI, if you enjoy audio discussion about this kind of thing, check our my new podcast, Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer (www.talkingcommunications.com). The first episode is up and there are more coming!)