Scripted: a Guide to Strategic Authenticity

In our society, we have contempt for things that we perceive as being 'scripted.' A political leader that makes a speech full of conviction is looked on favorably until we find out he's been reading from a teleprompter. The newest reality show on tv doesn't seem so real once we find out that each character has a script they must follow. And we can instantly recognize a salesman by the string of cliche phrases we've heard time and again upon answering our phones. We can regonize when something is phony about what people are saying and it makes us view that person as deceptive in some way.

What if I were to make the argument that we are all liars? What if I said that we all read from scripts when we communicate with one another? Would you believe me? Let's try a mental exercise. You are leaving Wal-Mart and someone is entering the doorway just as you are exiting. You almost run into the person and, as you step to the side, what will you invariable say? "Excuse me." You call a friend's house on the phone for the first time and someone else answers. What do you say? Maybe something like, "Hello, my I speak to 'Friend's Name' please?" Why do you say these same things over and over again? Because it is in your script.

But wait a second! That doesn't make us liars, does it? Even though we are using pre-formed responses, we are being genuine. Of course. But that doesn't mean that what we say in each situation isn't scripted, it just means that we've come to believe our script. When we communicate with one another, we all use some measure of pre-formed respones that we have found to work for us in similar scenarios. As a matter of fact, if what we were to say was not somehow 'scripted,' communication would be impossible! We would have to respond to people with something completely out of context. Someone asks, "How are you today?" We say, "Tacos."

So what of the politicians, actors, and telemarketers mentioned above? Are they insincere because they use scripts? Not necessarily. The politician that gives a speech without a teleprompter is using an internal script just as the actor who gives an impromptu performance and the salesman who wings it both have pre-formed responses based on their prior experiences. Good politicians, actors, and salesmen do not deny their scripts but rather are so comfortable with them that they come across as authentic. Indeed, they are reflex respones just like, 'Excuse me' and 'May I speak to...?' Authenticity oftentimes is in the eye of the beholder. The only way for us to appear more authentic with our scripts is to find words that work and integrate them into our vernacular. A good script is one that we've come to believe so well that others believe it too.