Must a communicator be a manipulator?

“It’s just a PR stunt.” We’ve all heard this expression before. Sometimes it means that a company is trying to manipulate us in order to improve its image and ultimately make more money. Furthermore, we often associate communication with manipulation, because manipulators are often skilled communicators—they use their words precisely to deceive us. Yet, we are also told that communication is essential in a couple or group in order to understand one another. Is this a contradiction? Does effective communication necessarily involve manipulation? If communication is truly crucial in human relationships, are we doomed to manipulate when we speak? This raises the central issue: Must a communicator be a manipulator? 1. What does it mean to be a communicator and a manipulator? Communicator : an entity (organization or individual) that communicates. Communication is the ability to exchange information using language or code.¹ Manipulator : an entity (organization or individual) th...