the Spaghetti Code of Human Interaction

Communication is simple, right?

We clearly state our position, information, or request and our intent is clearly understood and can be actioned without delay or issue. 😅

Well, if this is how it works then why does it so often feel like a rat's-nest, wires-crossed, spaghetti-tangle of misunderstandings, assumptions, biases, and miscommunication?

Certainly it CAN work well. Like a neatly organized set of cables in a server room (sorry, this is my IT background coming out again), communication can be incredible. Data exchanging efficiently, intentions mapping to reality, messages being heard clearly, empathy and human understanding firing on all cylinders. There are still a lot of wires, but stuff is generally moving the way it should.

But just as often (and I'd probably argue far more often) our communication is more like the rat's nest of tangled wires.

I've had some recent experiences like this. Despite efforts to be clear, direct, empathetic, and unbiased... the message was still not heard and assumptions proliferated.

But here's the thing: responsibility for that lies on both sides of communication.

As humans we enter into communication from radically different positions. We've each experienced different things, have been trained in different ways, apply different values-systems, think differently, make different associations, and more. And we all have a responsibility to make these differences an asset rather than a drawback.

My message today is not to be discouraged by how ridiculously challenging truly effective communication is, but rather to be encouraged that whatever you're experiencing can only get better if you apply more intentional human-centric approaches to how you engage.

After all, if the world can keep moving with the current spaghetti-tangle of crossed wires, imagine how incredible it could be if we could all more deeply and empathetically understand those we communicate with.Helping to make this happen through our work at Crewjoy!