Getting at the real meaning
by Miki SaxonHere’s a complimentary idea to yesterday’s post about the importance of context.
Call it the importance of source: Consider the source of the comment, before considering what was actually said.
This is especially true when the comments are questioning, critical or downright negative.
It never ceases to amaze me how often the human animal (myself included) shrugs off compliments and positive feedback from trusted sources, yet embraces negative comments from questionable or even unknown sources.
Moreover, along with evaluating the merits of the commenter, i.e., knowledge, trustworthiness, vested interest, etc., also consider the context in which the comment was made.
For example, Joe, in the next cubicle, says that he thinks that your presentation is too busy and the advanced techniques you used make it confusing.
You need to ask yourself is Joe
- knowledgeable about presentations in general, as well as the specific focus of this one;
- historically trustworthy;
- jealous of technical skills he doesn’t have;
- a team player who has my best interests at heart; and
- any other questions you think pertinent.
Doing this moves you from subjective to objective, allowing you to evaluate what was said painlessly and leach out whatever value is present.
