Relationship dynamics dominate factual content in communication.
Evidence
There is a content level and a relationship level in every communication. The relationship level is an important factor in the reception of information. The communication scientist Paul Watzlawick used the image of an iceberg: only 20% are visible, which corresponds to the factual level, the exchange of facts. But communication is strongly co-determined by the 80% underwater, the feelings, the relationships, the social and cultural influences. If there is a disturbance in the relationship, this also has a disturbing effect on the factual level (iceberg model). To reach people, it is not enough to address facts. You have to understand and address their emotions. What is behind the views they hold? What fears, concerns, motives? If these are not addressed, the information often does not reach its target. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 135
Categorization
- SEED: Seeds an article on why fact-checking fails: aligning on the relationship level must precede factual rebuttal.
- SHARE: The Watzlawick 20/80 iceberg figure is worth sending to anyone teaching argumentation or communication.
- XREF: connects to: A table or pen reveals a whole network of social purposes and relationships. — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 217; Most social media posts function as phatic communication meant to maintain bonds — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 562