“Hand-Waving”
Pshh!
What is Hand-Waving?
‘Brushing off’ contradictory evidence as if it is irrelevant; or glossing over important details to strengthen an argument.
Business Application
Convincing someone who refuses to address the facts is no easy task. Stay the course. Keep asking questions and seek to expose the missing steps that are necessary to come to a logical conclusion.
Example
Position -“This little update increased our e-mail open rate by 40%!”
Counter-Position -How many e-mails were being opened from the start? Improvement rates are irrelevant unless they increase performance that is already strong.
Hand-Wave -“That doesn’t matter. These types of improvements will be sure to help our readers!”
Why This is a Fallacy
Ignoring facts that contradict ones position will never convince the savvy. Always be vigilant about extracting hard truths before making judgement calls about the quality of a claim.
