Style over substance

Style over substance is when you let how someone looks or how confident they sound decide whether you believe them—instead of looking at the actual reasons and facts. Presentation can influence us more than content. The fallacy is to treat style as evidence. Confident, well-dressed, articulate people can be wrong; hesitant, plain speakers can be right. The remedy is to focus on the argument and the evidence.

Examples

• She was so confident and well dressed I believed her numbers must be right.

• He had such a firm handshake I trusted the deal.

• The presentation was so slick the proposal must be solid.

• She spoke so well I assumed she was right.

• He looked the part, so I didn't check his credentials.