Honesty is a valuable quality in interpersonal communication. Many people consider honesty as the fundamental criterion to judge a relationship. Nevertheless, others prefer other qualities, such as altruism and optimism. As subjective as the argument is, everyone has a different answer. I would say honesty is not an essential consideration in any relationship between people.

First of all, it may hurt others if we always tell the truth. It does not matter if telling the truth to a person who has a strong heart. However, the truth might hurt an unconfident person deeply. For instance, a friend of mine, Susan, wore a dress, which did not fit her well in a high school union party. When asked how the dress was, instead of praising it like everyone did, I told Susan the truth directly. Being angry and awkward, she left the party immediately. Later she told me that she had never considered my words as honesty.

Second, qualities like a sense of humor are more crucial in a relationship. Talking humorously can lighten the atmosphere. Nonetheless, stiffly telling the truth could worsen the situation. On the other hand, Serena Williams can be a convincing example of this agreement. A wind blew away the US flag during an award ceremony of tennis, Serena Williams made a joke to break the ice. Therefore, in some situations, other qualities are more important than honesty.

Admittedly, sometimes telling the truth has its unique advantages in a relationship. For example, it allows people to talk frankly to others, making communication more efficient. However, honesty is not always the most important consideration, and other qualities could replace it. For example, corporations need exceptional communication skills to motivate employees to work towards the same goal. Always telling the truth will only make employees feel embarrassed or even lose their confidence.