The human race could be extinct by Christmas

You have to watch the weasel words!

How likely is 'could'?

Britain is on nuclear alert at the moment, did you know that?

Well, of course it is! The Defence Council, the RAF, Royal Navy and the British Army are on constant alert. The 'four minute warning' and all that. But are they on any more alert than normal? Not as far as we know.

But you see how saying it in a particular way can create an impression in your mind?

Let's take an example closer to home. Suppose you introduce your partner as 'my current boyfriend' or 'my first wife'. Word up - be prepared to spend the night on the couch!

Words can convey a message as much by what they say as by what they don't say.

Point 1 - watch out for weasel words.

How else can you check?

Point 2 - Do your homework. Pick apart the argument. Look for the facts. Listen for the justification.

Now do you know why MICA is important? To spot trends. To look at correlation (and to distinguish it from causation). To insist on metrics. To quantify the nature of the problem. To get at the whole picture.

Be aware that facts can be deceptive when deprived of context. That's why MSBC is not just Pestle, Swot and Porter - it's about context - putting the 'facts' in perspective.