Have you ever wondered why we may choose to tell a slightly different story from what REALLY happened? Like we mix up the facts deliberately and become selective in what we chose to say? YES, we are all human and the temptation to want to look good in other people’s eyes, gets the best side of us, sometimes.

GENERALLY, people lie when they focus on what might happen to them in the end – shunned, dishonoured, punished, shamed, ostracized, etc. When we know that what we say will NOT be used against us, the conversation changes remarkably. In other words, once the fear of a negative outcome is removed, people are prone to tell the truth. 

What are some reasons people might tell a different story from what really transpired? How might you and I have contributed to their telling us a lie? What can we do to create a ‘truth-telling’ environment?

Dr Francis Mpindu (Author), PhD