Yes, words count, but meaning counts too!

Well, sometimes it does…

One challenge of communicating in technical projects is being able to express unclear concepts, talk about un-invented products, and then commit to unknown results with unsupported dates.

The adage “in the final analysis words don’t have meaning, only people have meaning” is a great thought, if and when it might be true. Similar quotes are everywhere:

“…in the final analysis words are our servants, and we can use them as we wish.” (A. J. Ayer, quoted in Brand Blanshard, Reason and Analysis (Open Court Publishing, 1964), pp. 256, 257)

“…in the final analysis. Words are indeed a barrier. Written form even worse.” (John Diff)

So what does this mean to your project leadership?

Plenty. In public forums, the words that you choose carry a message of their own, in spite of what you mean. You must forever be diligent about exactly what you say, how it is said, and to whom you say it. Distrust and the desire to ‘spin’ any message can make this almost impossible for us mortals. And this sensitivity to a misspoken word is all the more an issue if the press, politicians, lobbyists, or topic-activists are present.

So what do you do with your team? It’s as simple as building trust. Trust is what allows for differences between the many possible interpretations of your words and your underlying meaning. Trust is what builds fault-tolerance into conversation.

When dealing with complex issues and especially with first-spoken concepts, it’s trust that allows people the benefit of the doubt about misspoken words, and allows the speaker to continue to explain, expand, and clarify their thoughts and beliefs. Both innovation and projects require this latitude, require this trust.

My new mantra: ‘build trust not spin’

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