The First Minute: How to Start Conversations That Get Results by Chris Fenning

Author:Chris Fenning
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Business, Self Help, Psychology
Publisher: Alignment Group Ltd
Published: 2020-11-05T06:00:00+00:00

When it comes to delivering clear messages, fewer words with the right information is best.

Cause #3: We focus on the variables and dependencies instead of the problem.

The problems we solve at work are complex. If they were simple, we wouldn’t need to work so hard.

Most problems, even relatively simple ones, have more than one variable. They are also dependent on and impact things that go beyond the current situation you want to talk about. For example, IT systems are interconnected. A cost overrun in one project can impact other projects. A delay can be caused by multiple issues that come together to cause a bigger problem and so on. The list is endless.

Don’t mix up the causes of the problem with the actual problem you need to solve.

When trying to summarize a problem, it’s easy to start describing the various parts of the problem that make it complex instead of focusing on the problem that needs solving. The existence of multiple variables isn’t a problem by itself.

If the variables causing an issue are unknown or keep changing, that is a problem in and of itself. In this case, the summary should define the problem as being changing variables, and the solution should focus on how to solve that. This doesn’t require a detailed description of each variable. The conversation that comes after the summary can include the details for each variable and how it impacts the goal, but the summary doesn’t need that detail. The summary should do just what its name implies, summarize the goal, the problem, and the desired solution at a higher level.

The same can be said about dependencies. Dependencies are not problems to be solved. If the dependencies are impacting your work, your goal is to resolve the problem, not remove the dependency. For example, if another project is late, and you need it finished before your work can start, the problem is the late delivery of the project, not the existence of the dependency. Your structured summary should focus on solving the problem of the late delivery.

If you can clearly define the goal and the specific problem preventing the goal from being achieved, then you will have a clear summary.

Cause #4: We summarize more than one problem at once.

In chapter 2, we saw how having multiple topics in one conversation can cause problems. The same issues occur when trying to summarize multiple problems in the same summary. More than one problem usually means more than one solution is required.

Complex goals usually have multiple parts. Therefore, multiple problems can coexist. When faced with this situation, it’s easy to list all the problems in the summary at the start of a conversation. Unfortunately, this increases the risk of falling into one of the common mistakes listed above. It also makes it harder for the audience to keep track of the separate topics in the conversation.

Problems are solved one at a time, and each problem requires a separate conversation to solve. This doesn’t mean you need to have separate meetings or come back to speak to your audience multiple times.

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