Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

By Robert Goehring, Communications Director, FBMG S2006

 

I’ve been attending several different advanced training sessions lately in order to get all of my required hours for the Master Gardener program. As such, I have greatly increased my knowledge in many areas of horticulture in general. And I have found out that all training sessions are not equal.

 

             One session at the ArborGate that I attended was exceptional. The speaker was brilliant and definitely knew her herbs. At another session, the speaker spoke of his love of flowers and why he started his company. These speakers made their points convincingly and I was very happy to have attended those sessions.

 

             However, I attended one presentation during which an alarm bell went off in my mind. I noticed the ‘scientist’ who was presenting the information had displayed a chart that I knew to be completely wrong in its conclusion. That chart immediately cast his entire presentation into doubt. How could I take everything he said at face value now? Well, the answer is that I lost his trust at that point.

 

             When I got back home, I really wanted to verify his information. I had taken some notes during the presentation so I started my own investigation into his data and conclusions. Based on the evidence I found, at least 3 times the speaker made statements and displayed ‘scientific charts based on fact’ that I could not verify outside of his presentation. And in one instance, he stated a ‘fact’ concerning artificial fertilizers that was completely false.

 

             To be honest, I was stunned. I understand that this speaker really wanted us to believe his conclusions and buy the products he normally sold. In truth, most of us already supported his company and their vision of gardening. But since he blatantly displayed fallacious data, exaggerated and overstated some outcomes, and (to me) presented a ‘holier than thou’ attitude towards some others, I have decided to change how I listen at advanced trainings.

 

             It is sad, really, that I can no longer simply listen to the speakers and trust their data and conclusions. I will be taking copious notes and spending a lot more time at the library and on the internet in order to verify their statements. I am returning to my Navy training in this with our saying of ‘In God we trust; all others are verified.’