Make plain statements of fact and expect the same (or distill what you read until it looks plain). Typically this means that everything you read and write shou

Make plain statements of fact and expect the same (or distill what you read until it looks plain). Typically this means that everything you read and write should say exactly what’s going on, nothing more. Who said/did what and when. If you are distracted by someone’s appearance, etc. then you’re probably experiencing a bias and should imagine what you’d think if you saw the same words printed with no attribution: does the statement stand by itself? And if a statement might not stand by itself, have questions in your head that, if answered, would let the combined statements stand. For example, “up to 50% off” sounds like a great deal and when emotions take over you might miss the fact that the statement doesn’t stand on its own. Example follow-up questions: 1. What is the minimum discount? 2. What was the price last week and last month? 3. What do competitors charge? 4. If this discount is taken, are other coupons also honored? It’s pretty amazing how many statements start to fall apart under slight scrutiny.