Читать книгу The Communication Playbook - Teri Kwal Gamble - Страница 151

Another factor affecting our perception and evaluation of people and events is the failure to distinguish what we think, wish, or infer to be true from what we observe.

It is important to distinguish inferences from facts. A fact is something that we know is true on the basis of observation. You see a woman walking down the street, carrying a briefcase. The statement “That woman is carrying a briefcase” is a fact. If the woman with the briefcase has a frown on her face, you may state, “That woman is unhappy.” The second statement is an inference, because it cannot be verified by observation. Failure to recognize the difference between a fact and an inference can be embarrassing or dangerous. For example, if an actor begins flubbing lines and walking unevenly, he might be accused of coming to work drunk, when the truth could be that he has a neurological illness.

When we confuse an inference with a fact, we are likely to jump to a conclusion—which just might be wrong. This is not to discourage you from making inferences. After all, we live our lives on an inferential level. We do, however, want to caution you against making inferences unconsciously. What is consequential is to stop operating as if inferences were facts.

The following lists summarize the essential differences between facts and inferences:

 FACTSMay be made only after observation or experienceAre limited to what has been observedCan be offered by the observer onlyMay refer to the past or to the presentApproach certainty

 INFERENCESMay be made at any timeExtend beyond observationCan be offered by anyoneMay refer to any time—past, present, or futureRepresent varying degrees of probability