In a world that’s increasingly infested with deliberately spread disinformation, the art of communicating honest truths is becoming more and more of a challenge.
Not so long ago the always-sordid image of disinformation was largely fuelled by visions of deranged individuals and miscreant organisations in dark corners of the globe secretly spreading lies in order to disrupt.
These kinds of disinformation disrupters are still out there doing exactly that – making it harder for those of us seeking to convey honest important truths to our understandably sceptical audiences – in the business world and beyond.
But now some of the worst of the highest profile disinformation is being instigated by one particularly well-known public figure acting in the open.
There’s nothing secret about it.
It’s happening with scary regularity, spreading the dirt of disinformation – otherwise known as blatant lies – spouted in front of banks of video cameras and microphones from the mouth of the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump.
Two of the most outrageous lies of recent weeks have been about the heroic democratically-elected president of war-ravaged Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
One of the Trump lies about him has been that it’s President Zelensky who actually himself started the war against Russia three years ago.
And another Trump lie – as he seeks to manipulate President Zelensky into surrendering to Russia with little in return – is that Volodymyr Zelensky himself is a “dictator”.
Of course anyone who follows the story of the political rise of President Zelensky knows that he was democratically elected in a hard-fought election – and that ever since he’s been defending his own country from invasion while keeping the western world as safe as possible for all democracies.
And those following the Russian invasion on western news bulletins over three years know full well that it’s Russia that’s relentlessly sending tanks, troops, missiles and drones – uninvited into Ukraine – at the instigation of a fully-qualified genuine dictator, President Vladimir Putin.
In the face of blatant Trump lies, it would be very easy for those who have to deal with a U.S. president spreading Russian-inspired propaganda to let their outrage get the better of them.
But responding to such lies by quietly putting forward their own convincing truths in this world of disinformation is something which some of the smarter leaders are already doing effectively.
This includes President Zelensky.
The following news video from America’s CBS network covers Donald Trump’s outrageous claims about Ukraine starting the war – and effectively disparages them.
What’s particularly worth noting is the calmness in which President Zelensky, within the report, puts forward the real truth – without agitation or anger – even though he may well be understandably seething about the slings and arrows of his outrageous treatment.
Watch how – as a true hero of truth – President Zelensky clearly conveys his own important truth about his perception that President Trump is living in a Russian disinformation bubble.
France’s President Macron demonstrated similar communication skill when Donald Trump lied in front of him at a White House media event about the way in which Europe was helping to fund the war effort in Ukraine.
Speaking in a language that’s not his native tongue, Emmanuel Macron calmly, courageously and effectively intervened on the side of truth in a way that President Trump found impossible to dispute after he had been caught out putting forward incorrect information.
Note that President Macron made his point in a friendly statesmanlike way while avoiding saying something more explosive and more politically dangerous like: “You’re lying again Donald!”
But Emmanuel Macron avoided the trap of overlooking the White House disinformation, gaining more respect – from President Trump and the world – for doing the fact-checking.
Leaning to communicate your truth amidst today’s disinformation challenges is a learnable skill.
It’s covered in the conference keynote sessions I run on “Giving Great Answers To Tough Questions In A World Of Disinformation”.
This keynote outlines the principles and techniques truthtellers can use to combat deliberate overt lies.
I’ll be doing this keynote at a big public event in London on 9 October 2025.
Watch this space for details of how and where tickets can be purchased!
I’m also now offering “Giving Great Answers To Tough Questions In A World Of Disinformation” in private master classes and one-to-one training sessions.
For details of how to book the conference keynote, master classes for your team and one-to-one training sessions, email michael@michaeldoddcommunications.com
Learning to stand up for truth while correcting disinformation that’s delivered online and face-to-face is a learnable skill.
By planning, preparing and practising the skill, you can play your part in ensuring that your organisation is protected against disinformation and helps ensure that the liars never win.