Throughout most of my K-12 education I can remember feeling completely lost. I remember not understanding what was being taught. I remember wanting so badly to raise my hand an ask questions but then just slouching in my chair. It is amazing that I ended up on honor roll in high-school.
Fast forward to my business career and I find myself saying I don’t understand frequently. I say don’t know what that means in excess of a dozen times a day. 2 reasons you should say “I don’t understand” or “I don’t know what that means” more often:
You need to learn – You just don’t understand and want to learn. You want to make sure what is being said or proposed will fit into the overall strategy and objectives. You want to ensure it has a chance for success.
You want to challenge – You want someone to defend their position. You want to see how passionate or convinced they are about what they are proposing. You need them to prove the validity of what they are saying.
Don’t slouch down. Rise up and proudly say you don’t understand or you don’t know what that means. We are sitting in an age of really important sounding marketing speak. The speak and the speaker need to be challenged to prove what they are saying is real and not a clever marketing idea or some bright and shiny object meant only to distract you. You need to make sure that what is being said isn’t a veiled attempt at finding excuses.
Why learning to say 'I don't know what that means' cuts through the marketing speak.Click To TweetLast updated on March 7th, 2018 at 11:52 am
