How can a speaker give an honest answer when the answer is incomplete?
An incomplete answer can still tell a listener something useful: what is known, what remains uncertain and what could resolve the uncertainty. The difficult part is making the boundary clear without turning a guess into a fact.
Questions you could explore
- How would your wording change if a missing fact could overturn the answer?
- How can an answer distinguish what is known, what is inferred, and what remains uncertain?
Start reading
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionClear Communication Index: State of the Science
The CDC shows how public communication can distinguish established information, unknowns and an investigation’s next steps. Its examples concern public health, rather than a universal speaking formula.
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