The Compassionate Orator

Recently, I was witness to a lengthy frustrated rant about having to express the same concepts over and over, to different groups, that may or may not contain the same people.   While I understand the emotions that prompted the rant, the high-jacking of the meeting did not help the group understand the problem at hand, or move us quicker to a solution.

This brings me around to the point of this article.  Who is responsible for ensuring a message is understood?

When in the hold of impassioned or complex thought do we too often dismiss our listener?  Are they thick, slow, unintelligent?  Probably not.  If they are someone you work with, or are doing business with, there is something that has got them where they are at, they bring some piece of puzzle to the table.  That aside, what we often forget is that the onus is on the speaker to convey meaning, not on the listener to comprehend.  Make no mistake the listener has an active role in the process, and must remain engaged, but if we are not crafting our message so that the listener or listeners comprehend, take away, and hopefully socialize our message, we are not meeting our obligations as the presenter or subject matter expert.

A few things to remember in our quest to being understood:
1. Make less assumptions - Don't automatically assume everyone has the same foundations, take things back to the 50,000ft view, and then bring your focus in on the specifics, after you have established a common baseline.
2. Be Patient and Answer Questions often - Get over the need to get everything out before you're interrupted.  If one person has questions or need clarifications, it is undoubtable that others do as well.
3. Socialize your message - While you probably only have a set amount of time to get your information across, ensure that you have done your piece to build solid documentation, or at least some foundational information.  A good synapse of the issue at hand in a meeting request, or presentation description will go a long ways to getting everyone on the same page, but this requires that you do some preparation to back up the discussion.

Overall, acting with consideration, and reacting with compassion will go a long ways to ensure that your message is received as intended.

Yours in Security,
JustinTM

Being Green

This isn't an article on espousing the intricacies of "Hulk smash", or the joys of being a Jolly Green Giant, instead I want to talk about team inclusiveness.  One of the many takeaways I came away from Army basic training with, was that we are all "Green".  It is a philosophy meant to eliminate bias and discrimination in the ranks, but it can be broken down to mean that we have a shared experience. It’s a mantra that since I wear the same uniform as you, your color, creed, orientation, or religion, are irrelevant to the fact that we are same, and in this together. Its a determination that you trust me to have your back, and I know that you have mine.  

This isn't just a phenomenon that is isolated to the military experience.  Whatever uniform or hat you wear, look around at those that are sharing the experience with you.  We are in this together; we share the same concerns and issues.  If we remember to keep this mindset, then maybe, just maybe, we may make that little extra effort to treat each other with the respect we deserve, and that keeps teams functioning well.  

Yours in Security,

JustinTM