The New Crop: Issue #51
what is "communication"? + how to make hard decisions: even/over statements
What’s in this issue:
💭 Thought: What is “communication”?
😆 Today’s Laugh
Why isn’t this gameshow worldwide?!
💭 Today’s Thought
What does “communication” mean?
For topics this nuanced, it’s helpful for me to seek guidance and wisdom from the etymology of the word:
communis: to make common or shared
Expanding on this, Judy C. Pearson and Paul E. Nelson powerfully assert that:
Communication is the process of understanding and sharing meaning.
A few different points about this definition stand out to me:
Communication is a process. It requires a series of actions or steps and isn’t a one-time or one-directional thing.
Understanding comes BEFORE sharing. Without feeling understood, it’s hard to move beyond what we already know and feel and create new meaning.
Meaning is shared. It exists in the space between people, not solely within people. If one person conveys a message with a specific meaning and intention but the message is received or interpreted differently, communication hasn’t actually happened.
As a leader, what if your responsibility isn’t to have all of the answers, but to help a group create shared meaning together? To help a group access even more data, information, and wisdom — so that together, you might chart the best path forward?
Some things you might reflect on for yourself:
What’s not currently being said that needs to be said on your team / in your relationships?
What’s being said that you might not be hearing on your team / in your relationships?
What (if anything) would shift for you if you saw your role as that of surfacing data, information, and wisdom from your group rather than providing all of that yourself? In what situations might this reframe be useful for you?
What daily practices could you adopt to bring this reframe to life?
📚 Today’s Read
How to Make Hard Decisions: Even/Over Statements
Click here to check out Lara Hogan’s Even/Over Statements tool, to help you make decisions between seemingly equally important things.
See you next week!
xo,
Anne