Complete beginnerLesson 2 of 56 min read
The three areas where you should always check
A course from the Academy: Doubt, verify, cross-check.
Go to the quiz ↓Not everything requires the same level of vigilance. Asking it to rephrase a message carries no risk. Three areas, however, demand systematic verification.
1. Figures, dates, references
This is its favourite ground for error, and the worst kind: a false statistic is undetectable by tone. A number always looks like a number. If you plan to cite a figure, a date, or a source, go and find it yourself.
2. Health, law, money
It is excellent for giving you the vocabulary and the right questions to ask. Understanding what a deductible is, or what a term on a prescription means: perfect.
Deciding, no. Not because it would always be wrong, but because the cost of an error there is incomparable to the convenience it provides. Use it to arrive prepared at the doctor, the lawyer, or the banker, not to replace them.
3. What you are trying to learn
A less obvious area, yet a real one. If you want to master something, delegating it too early robs you of the building process. Have it explain things, have it quiz you, but put in the effort.
What to do now
Ask it for a precise statistic on a topic you know well. Verify it. That is the best way to understand what we are talking about here.
Complete the lesson
A 4-question quiz: 3 correct answers are enough, plus an exercise to practise. It opens in the Academy, on this same lesson.
Take the quiz and complete the lesson Free. With an account, your progress is saved and leads to the course certificate.The course: Doubt, verify, cross-check.
- Why she makes things up, and why she sounds so sure of herself6 min
- The three areas where you should always check6 min
- Check it in two minutes, without being an expert.6 min
- Recognising a fabricated image or voice6 min
- What we never entrust to it5 min