Archiv der Kategorie: English

(Un)truth with and without

In the beginning, was the difference! To before – whatever that was. Since then, becoming been happening. At every moment, reality gets further fractalized. There is no end in sight. We are observers looking out of our box, absorbing the world’s stimuli, and processing them in our minds. We associate the symbol o with a tetragon or a rectangle, or a square. For some, it is simply an incomprehensible something. Some people recognize this symbol © as an automotive brand. Interested people wonder. The disinterested ignore. The only real thing is the sign © at this point. What someone explains becomes the meaning – until somebody else provides another explanation. Who’s right? Both! The meaning is always in the eye of the beholder.

Since our knowledge is constantly evolving, every realization already contains its replacement by a new (un)truth, which is also more or less quickly superseded. We climb the mountain of knowledge with the assumption that we are heading for a peak. Along the way, (un)truths are found in various states: Fact, opinion, faith, fallacy, or conspiracy.

  • The (un)truth as a fact
    The expected normal state of an occurring circumstance is a provable or generally accepted fact. Gottlob Frege distinguished facts of the real world and thoughts. “Reality” can be grasped most precisely with the available measuring tools. Thoughts are accessible only indirectly through inquiry and filtered expression
    At the end of the 16th-century, scientists explained electrical attraction as a consequence of the fluidum surrounding a body as a cloud of vapor attracting other substances. Today we see the reason in positive and negative charges of the elementary particles. Until science provides an accepted explanation, the fact lacks the blessing. An example of a rejection of the science community is the morphic field of the biologist Rupert Sheldrake – although no other proofs are given. Accordingly, an article on morphic fields in the German Wikipedia has not yet made it into the English one. Mental issues become plausible only by their coherence. Varying explanations turn them into opinions. Except: We follow Kellyanne Conway and consider the notion of alternative facts.
    Science and measuring tools are the basis for contemporary truths, which abruptly become falsehoods through new measurements. The realm beyond measurability is called metaphysics.
  • The (Un)Truth as Opinion
    The opinion is a personal believing in a case that can be inferred by explanation, even if there is no tangible evidence. A hypothesis remains an opinion until it is “proven”. The morphic fields above are a good example. Another one is the Higgs boson that was formulated in 1964 and not proven until 2012 in the LHC.
    In contrast to the fact, whose existence is based on quantitative and numerical evaluations, opinions are expressed, explained, and eventually substantiated. Wittgenstein had already focused attention on the interplay (TLP 1.1 “The world is the totality of facts, not of things.“). However, it is left to the audience to adopt an opinion that arises – i.e., to think it is correct and to believe it (not in the religious sense – see the next point).
    Opinions are more contagious and easier to repeat, pass on, and apply in different contexts and have longevity. Opinions make the same powerful impact on the opinioning ones as facts. However, it is more difficult to get rid of deep convictions.
  • The (Un)Truth as Faith
    Religion strongly overlaps with opinion, as both manifest as doctrine in the minds of “fans”. This overlapping explains why opinions are readily defamed as esotericism. The present description makes a distinction between an opinion and a religious belief – as secular and spiritual.
    The awe of an order that cannot be explained or proven, but is built on traditional dogma, creates in believers a truth that is incomprehensible to “non-believers”. According to Gallup, in the U.S. in 2019, 40% of the population, the so-called creationists, believed that God created man in his present form. 33% that man evolved with God’s guidance (i.e., Intelligent Design). Only 22% believed in evolution, i.e., that God had no part in the development.
    Article four of the German constitution states, “(1) The freedom of faith, conscience and the freedom of religious and ideological confession are inviolable. (2) The undisturbed practice of religion is guaranteed.” This makes faith a personal attitude that is not debatable. (Un)truths arise as a consequence for each person.
  • The (un)truth as a fallacy
    As soon as a fact or an opinion turns out to be false, we speak of a fallacy. Whether an opinion or a religious belief is a deception must be made by each person for oneself.
    Karl Popper formed the concept of falsifiability. He showed that no theory could be verified one hundred percent. The only certainty we get is finding proof of a fact’s wrongness (to falsify). The appearance of ONE black swan disproves the statement that all swans are white and the original “truth” is false. Let us think of the statement The earth is a disk. Even the Greeks recognized the spherical shape. By the 19th century, the fallacy had spread that medieval society considered the earth being flat, which never happened. At the latest with the Apollo missions, the last ones should be convinced of the “sphere”, except a few conspiracy theorists.
    Especially realists and materialists are challenged by fallacies as soon as different disciplines and contradictory study results question their worldview. This uncertainty becomes visible in the compulsive urge to defend one’s findings and defame new approaches even without a better explanation. Although we know, according to Popper, that the fallacy is the more factual counterpart of the fact.
  • The (un)truth as a conspiracy theory
    A particular genre is fake news or conspiracy theories, which are deliberately put into the world to manipulate people by pretending facts. Fatally, these terms have become a rhetorical killer phrase. If someone doesn’t like a statement or point of view, it is maligned as fake news and conspiracy theory.
    The previous president of the United States showed how this is done, and politicians around the world have adopted this approach. At the same time, fake news is penetratingly hammered into the heads of inattentive listeners until they can only conclude that these facts must be true. However, in the beginning, it is mainly deliberate lying, which might become a conspiracy over time. A conspiracy needs conspirators who secretly join forces to bring about conditions they desire by putting corresponding theories into the world. For this purpose, the agitators turn the tables and accuse the opponent of wanting to seduce the population with magic and incitement. They develop untruths and cement them through so-called evidence and other dubious claims into the mind of the victims. Thereby a thought model difficult to grasp is created, characterized by fatal stability, and that can only be refuted with effort.
    The manipulators tend to strike back prophylactically by denigrating the opposing parties’ facts, opinions, and beliefs as conspiracy theories. This creates fear of contact and makes discourse impossible. For this reason, it is crucial to make these untruths visible at an early stage and to set up effective countermeasures – taking the concerns of the target groups seriously; answering easy-to-understand arguments with simple counterarguments; provide more appealing platforms than the agitators.

Bottom line: Today’s (un)truths spread rapidly with one click of a mouse throughout the world. As long as we do not learn to deal with them, the propagandists will receive a large influx. It is vital to be aware of a fact’s temporary validity and be open to new things. Opinions are the precursor to facts because they build a thought model that only needs to be proven. If it is a religious belief, then we must tolerate it because everyone has a right of their faith – which should a priori rule out religious wars. As soon as we falsify a fact, a hundred percent truth emerges – that it is simply not as conceived. The organized seduction of the public is linked to a purpose – maintaining or acquiring power. Conspiracies are hard to unravel because their adherents develop a quasi-religious conviction. In the end, the world is constantly changing and creating (un)truths with and without intent.

Customers are everything – without them, everything is nothing

There are moments when we have the impression that we are not living in the same world. When we enter a shop in Japan, it feels like everyone is only waiting for us. The sales staff turns to us and welcome us with an Irasshaimase (engl. Welcome).
In Western stores, we recognize the staff by how they move away from us as soon as they notice us. In extreme cases, they are so ignorant that, even though we stand right in front of them and look at them questioningly, they execute routine tasks such as restocking shelves, checking off a list, or simply doing nothing. Above all, the unqualified staff gives customers the feeling that they are bothering.
Yet customer experience has been in the center of interest for years. Bad experiences destroy customer loyalty with unfriendly and incompetent services.

To close the gap between the experience and the original expectation, employees need customer focus.

  • Customers are people
    We all are a unique universe fulfilling various roles in changing contexts such as family, leisure, and work. To do this, we acquire a set of behaviors that we apply intuitively. We have skills adapted to the situation. We use our internalized convictions for perception, which also influence our thinking, behavior, and communication. All actions are dependent on the momentary mood. There is a positive explanation for every customer behavior that almost always has nothing to do with the salesperson. Be grateful for all shoppers who have found their way to you.
  • Customers have expectations
    If potential customers contact you at your counter, they follow an impulse. They have become aware of you and want to find out more. Perhaps they may already have specific ideas that need to be investigated. There may be questions regarding the application. Eventually, it could be about the final customization. These examples already show the different expectations that need to be fulfilled from you. Determine the expectations and adapt your advice to them.
  • Customers love a pleasing ambiance
    Prospects enter an environment that is entirely under the control of the provider. All senses are reached, whether you like it or not. Pay attention to the visual impression you make with your coloring, visualizations, etc. You influence the sound of your store with more than just basic acoustics such as reverberation, the sounds of doors or furnishings, or the noise level of your employees. It also includes sound sources such as subliminal music and the ringing of telephones. We are particularly sensitive to new smells. How do you want to smell? As soon as customers enter your sphere, they sense the furnishings, the floor, the doors, and so on. Whether you wish to appear cozy or eco, or busy, you should prepare your space. Examine your current ambiance from the sensual points of strangers coming in to see you.
  • Customers don’t just pay for what you offer
    It is always about deliverables that you propose. Hopefully, they have a fair market price that treats clients equally. With a product and a service, the deliverables should have the promised qualities. However, that’s not yet the whole package. It starts with the first impression when you are contacted, by phone or when customers visit you. They expect friendliness and know-how, and a respectful approach. A friendly relationship doesn’t end after the deliverable has been paid or provided. To keep customers coming back (or coming at all), you should continually serve them as the only customer, even if they are not billed for those add-ons. You determine customer loyalty by your generous support that goes beyond the original deliverables.
  • Customers come, return or not
    A biz without clientele is like a soup without liquid. For this reason, all people are potential customers. You determine whether another deal will happen by how you treat non-, regular, and occasional clients. To keep them coming, you should make enticing offers that you can deliver. Your customer contact is already part of the deliverable before the contract. However, it only pays off when it results in a deal. Do not destroy outcomes by ceasing your efforts after payment. Continue to support previous clientele. Even after everything is done, you are required. Existing customers know and appreciate you. Don’t risk losing them by misbehaving. Make your employees aware that 1) most customers aren’t even customers yet and 2) disappointed existing customers never come back.

Bottom line: Many vendors feel threatened by entrants from the Internet. At the same time, these virtual biz think that they do not have to take care of individual customers. However, they are also people with all their peculiarities. All offerors must respond appropriately to customer expectations. In the real and the virtual world, you should create a pleasant atmosphere. Besides the genuine offer, other deliverables do not result in an invoice but are rewarded by customers. Eventually, all providers have a significant influence on whether new customers come, return, or not. Never forget: Customers are everything – without them, everything is nothing.