Never, ever, ever, resort to FUD

For those unfamiliar with the term, “FUD” simply is an attempt to manipulate others through “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.”

As an example, FUD has long been a staple of political campaigns as it has proven to be highly effective in tearing down one’s opposition. In a close race opposing candidates will often pull out all stops in ‘going negative,’ even if it means dragging each other into the mud. Come election day we voters must hold our nose in disgust to cast our vote for the lesser of two evils.

We can see FUD employed liberally by anti-vaccination activists: “Vaccines contain the poison mercury. Why would you poison your child through vaccination? How would you feel if your child becomes autistic? We don’t know the risks.”  Those advocating vaccination will often respond with a similar FUD-based tactic: “By not vaccinating your child, you risk her getting measles and dying.” Such an approach is ill-advised.

“Never, ever, ever, resort to FUD” says technology evangelist Terrence Ryan in his new book Driving Technical Change. Why? When you are playing a long game of building up a reputation of trust, employing FUD risks eroding your credibility.

Building a good reputation is of keen interest to me as a technology professional, not only in my attempts to persuade others, but also in countering the occasional bit of FUD. Understanding FUD is highly relevant to me as a skeptic as well, as I’m constantly wondering how to navigate a world awash in dangerous nonsense.

In a chapter titled “Create Trust“ (free pdf) Ryan makes several good points essential in building trust with others: don’t lie by commission or omission. Own up to your mistakes, but do your homework to keep them infrequent — too many mistakes and your credibility is shot.

From skepticism I’d add other good tips I’ve encountered that appear to be essential for building a good reputation:

• Be open to change, such as in reevaluating your position in light of new evidence or better reasoning.
• Recognize and avoid logical fallacies. Be aware of and compensate for your cognitive biases.
• Avoid weasel words and state your points clearly.
• When reaching the limits of your knowledge be prepared to say with confidence “I don’t know, but I will find out.”

Ryan makes a strong case that FUD tactics should be avoided. To manipulate others through fear might be effective in the short term, but it comes at great risk to your reputation:

• If you’re loose with the facts (and called on it) you risk burning your credibility forever.
• Even if you’re tight on the facts, those you’re trying to persuade will eventually realize that you’re trying to manipulate them through fear.
• Most in your audience will not normally experience the worst-case scenario. So by using fear to motivate, you risk being seen as the ‘boy who cries wolf.’

Rather than risk damaging your credibility, Ryan says, play the long game of carefully building your reputation as a trustful person. More simply, I’d say don’t be a weasel. Be the ‘good guy.’

However, because you must inevitably deal with those using FUD tactics, you need a strategy of countering them without dragging yourself and your reputation into the mud.

From various sources, tips in countering FUD:

• Focus on the benefits of the ideas you’re trying to promote. Cast your points in positive language. On vaccination for example, point out that the legitimate studies show that vaccinating your child is a safe and effective path towards keeping your kid healthy.
• Recognize FUD in its various forms, such as those who disingenuously say “we don’t know” or “we’re just asking questions” couched with an agenda and intent to manipulate through fear.
• Don’t bring up the shortcomings of your opponent’s position unless asked to do so by a recognized neutral third-party. As Terrence Ryan suggests, “speak plainly, unemotionally and without exaggeration” and be prepared to cite your sources for those shortcomings.
• Call out factual inaccuracies that you can back up by citing reliable sources. Similarly, call out fallacious reasoning, but only where you can state clearly why it’s faulty.
• Let the audience realize for themselves that your opponent is manipulating them through fear. Many may not realize what’s going on, but your pointing it out isn’t likely to help.
• You may need to carefully distance yourself from allies trying to manipulate your audience through fear.
• If asked to acknowledge a shortcoming of your side, be open about it. You may need to place the criticism in context, but don’t whitewash.
• Finally, resist calls to fight ‘fire with fire.’ Your opponent may be prepared to sacrifice his reputation to bring yours down with him.

As Ryan points out, building a reputation of trust can be a great asset in one’s professional life. However, if one isn’t careful, that trust can be quickly squandered through the use of FUD — manipulating others through fear should be avoided.

And don’t be a weasel.

Thanks to Terrence Ryan for cautioning against the dangers of using FUD.

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