I’ve noticed something over the years: when people are telling the truth, they rarely try to convince you of it.
Think of a staff member in a disciplinary meeting. If they’re honest, their story is usually plain and sometimes even messy. They tell you what happened, even if it makes them look bad.
But when someone is being deceptive, they invest enormous energy into convincing. They say things like “I promise you,” “You’ve got to believe me,” “Honestly, I’d never lie.” They repeat the same claim again and again, as though repetition will make it more credible.
That is what Convincing looks like in the CAPS framework. It’s not about clarity. It’s about performance. And performance is rarely where truth lives.