Here we’ll see how plain language can keep everyone focused on what’s important. How easy it is to be swayed by clever framing, excellent oratory or by the heat of a situation,
The stoics have this principle: ‘radical objectivity’. Rewriting something of esteem or luxury using plain language or even contempt to cut to the heart of what it is and not to be enticed by it.
“This wine is only a little grape juice” “This is the dead body of a fish”
So too can we be swayed by the allure of a new tool, a single data point or an opinionated statement. The language can distract from the team’s focus: making a decision, getting to the root of an issue. Try to rephrase the statement in plain language, remove the window dressing and biased adjectives.
When I was initially talking with stakeholders to define a vision for the roadmap, in the forming/brainstorming phase the language was more vague & attractive to explore opportunities Then when this is brought to the planning stage the language then needs to shift towards the practical and plain. It’s not “leveraging advanced machine learning models to integrate blah with blah”, it becomes “we’re increasing conversions with a model”. Focusing on what it is, does it still sound like a good idea when it’s just the facts.
What’s Next?
- Practice repeating what others said but plainly with just the facts
- Having a document/meeting notes which records the facts so that decision can be made based on an objective view
- Ensure all voices are heard not the dominant views of a few
- If the ‘why’ you want to do something is clear the what becomes easier. Ensure you start with why.