Expert Advice

Business Bullshit - Part Two

The more you analyse Business Bullshit, the funnier it gets. To hear me deconstruct such classics as "Stabbing a seal with a banana" and "Nailing a jelly to the wall", have a look at part two.

 

Business Bullshit - Part One

I was interviewed recently on one of my favourite subjects - Business Bullshit. To hear why I think people talk so much nonsense in business, have a look at part one.
 

 

Spotting Waffle

Corporate waffle is rife, so here's my ten-point guide to how to spot it and what you can do about it. For a full rundown, have a look at my book Tick Achieve.

 

1. False arguments

If you know your facts and the other person is incorrect, then you shouldn't act on their instructions. In fact, you may not even be able to.

2. Circular arguments

If the person in question keeps returning to the same point, then there may only be one point. If it's valid, then fine. If it's not, don't act on it.

3. Repetition

Similar to the circular argument, in which the speaker will head off elsewhere and then return. In the case of repetition, they just keep saying the same thing.

4. Incorrect conclusions

These are what I call "synapse jumps". Many speakers jump a gap and end up in completely the wrong place.

5. Spurious sources

Some people make themselves sound authentic by quoting sources, but they may not be valid. Check these assertions carefully.

6. Irrelevance

It is extraordinary the amount of irrelevant material that is wheeled out to validate a point. The more evidence is offered, the more suspicious you should be.

7. Weak points

Most decent cases either argue for themselves or have one or two solid support points. If a chart has support points, the weak ones at the bottom always undermine the strong ones at the top.

8. Cliché and jargon

Don't trust it. It is usually disguising something.

9. Inconsistency

Inconsistency is to be viewed suspiciously if it appears in the same speech or written piece. But also keep an eye out for it over time.

10. Vagueness

Vagueness should be easy to spot. If the person can't come to the point, or clearly hasn't got one, then ignore them.

 

 

What is Bullshit?

The phenomenon of bullshit in business continues apace. What better place to start than by trying to define what bullshit truly is? In his short but brilliant book On Bullshit, Harry G. Frankfurt, a Professor at Princeton University and renowned moral philosopher, points out that it is hard to define because the term is often used loosely and as a generic term of abuse, so it covers a multitude of sins.

Bullshit is now ubiquitous but strangely has not attracted much sustained inquiry because we think we know how to spot it and deal with it. But do we? Bullshit is as dismaying as shoddy goods – produced in a careless or self-indulgent manner, and never finely crafted. The essence of bullshit is a lack of concern with the truth and an indifference to how things really are.

But do bullshitters intentionally lie? Not necessarily. They are certainly faking things, but this does not mean that they necessarily get them totally wrong. As such, they have much more freedom than someone who tells the truth or lies, because they do not require an anchor point on one side or the other.

Interestingly, the production of bullshit is stimulated whenever a person's obligations or opportunities to speak about a topic exceed their knowledge of the relevant facts. What the rest of us need to understand about bullshitters is:

1. They are neither on the side of the truth nor the false.

2. They do not care whether the things they say describe reality correctly. They just pick them out, or make them up, to suit their purpose.

3. They do not reject the authority of truth as the liar does - they pay no attention to it at all.