This Does Not Compute
Technology doesn’t like me. When I have a problem with one of my gadgets the response of my tech people is often “I never saw that before.” Lots of people think I emit an electrical charge that interferes with the internet, cell service and wifi.
Recently I was forced to get a new computer and mobile phone—a traumatic event, as I was not only moving to new devices I was sure would not work properly but I was trading in my familiar PC technology and an old Blackberry for a Mac and an iPhone. The transition has been humbling, stressful, irritating, and ultimately, exhilarating.
During the transition and now into the ongoing de-bugging, I noticed I was saying a particular phrase quite often. “I have no idea what you’re telling me.” I brought out this response both to descriptions of what I had to do to use some new program properly and to explanations about the most recent glitch in my systems.
Thinking about this, I realized I was saying out loud what many people just think to themselves when listening to their boss or the head of their organization. The speaker is sharing what to them is obvious information while the listeners don’t have a clue what the speaker is talking about.
There are two reasons for this. In the case of experts, they assume that everyone has the basic knowledge on which their instruction or information is based, so they skip to the middle. They forget that the reason they’re experts is they have a greater depth of knowledge of a particular subject than most people. I often remind technology experts trying to explain something to me that the first step in their explanation should be to tell me to turn the device on.
In the case of managers, they assume that what they’ve been thinking about has through osmosis sunk into the heads of those around them. They forget that they have fully internalized the process that led to their pronouncements, a process that needs to be revealed before anyone can understand their conclusions. When I’m the listener in such situations I request that the executive back up and supply the logic that led to their idea.
In both cases it’s the same issue, someone so close to what they’re sharing that they completely forget to lay the foundation so others can understand the solution. Missed communication that leads to bad results…a computer that still doesn’t work or a new business initiative that goes awry and wastes lots of time and money.
The solution is simple for the expert and the manager. Lay the foundation and build to the solution. And never forget the final question, “do you fully understand what you heard or do you need more information and explanation?”