Have you ever sat through a meeting where everyone nodded enthusiastically and nobody asked any questions – only to realize later that half the room didn’t know (or couldn’t agree) what had just happened?

Welcome to ambiguity

Organizations are full of it. We need greater accountability. Better communication. Stronger collaboration. Increased agility. Strategic alignment. Let’s circle back and synergize!

Wonderful. But, what exactly do any of those business buzzwords mean? The problems start when vague ideas are presented as if they have a single, universally accepted definition.

Everyone agrees accountability is important. Not everyone agrees what it means. Ask 10 people what “accountability” looks like and you’ll get 11 different answers. One person thinks it means owning mistakes. Another thinks it’s about hitting deadlines. Someone else thinks it means challenging poor performance, and a fourth thinks it means keeping stakeholders updated.

Organizations do this all the time. Leaders leave meetings convinced they have communicated clearly because they have spoken clearly. Unfortunately, those are not the same thing.

Successful communication is not measured by what is said; it is measured by what people understand.

Two types of language: literal vs. abstract

Much of this comes down to the type of language we choose to use. At one end sits literal, or “concrete”, language. It’s specific, observable, and difficult to misinterpret.

“Call the client back before the end of the day.”

“Update the project board every Friday.”

“Come to the meeting with your feedback.”

At the other end sits figurative, or “abstract”, language. It deals in ideas, concepts, aspirations, and interpretations.

“Demonstrate responsiveness to member needs.”

“Maintain visibility and accountability across project activity.”

“Ensure proactive stakeholder communication.”

Notice how the abstract versions sound more strategic, more professional, and arguably more impressive. They’re also harder to act on. These statements aren’t necessarily wrong and may describe exactly what an organization wants to achieve, but they leave room for interpretation, and different people will attach different meanings to the same words.

Neither form of language is inherently better than the other. Concrete language helps us discuss behavior, expectations, and action. Abstract language helps us discuss purpose, vision, and possibility – but it also has a greater risk of becoming ambiguous.

Ambiguity and business buzzwords

The word ambiguous traces back to a Latin root meaning “pulled in multiple directions.” That’s exactly what happens when expectations are left open to interpretation. Different people reach different conclusions, behave accordingly, and organizations end up with inconsistency where they expected alignment.

We don’t make decisions. We align strategic priorities.

We don’t explain uncertainty. We talk about visibility.

The words sound impressive, but they’re open to interpretation. Literal language narrows interpretation whereas jargon expands it. Think of the meeting where someone interrupts to ask for clarification, and half the room sighs with relief, exclaiming that they were hoping someone would speak up. Now think of how many meetings you’ve been in where nobody asked the question that everyone was waiting for.

Silence does not equal understanding

Human beings are remarkably good at pretending to understand. We don’t want to seem uninformed or inexperienced. So we nod and smile. We make notes, telling ourselves we’ll figure it out later.

Jargon isn’t the only culprit. Metaphor, hyperbole, slogans, and other forms of figurative language can create similar problems when they’re left up to interpretation.

This doesn’t mean everything needs to be reduced to dry instructions and hard facts. A good analogy can be one of the best communication tools we have, taking an unfamiliar idea and translating it into something people can get immediately.

The goal shouldn’t be to sound clever. The goal should be shared understanding.

Say what you mean

The next time you find yourself talking about accountability, transformation, agility, or any other wonderfully abstract concept, ask yourself if you could be clearer. Have you left anything open to interpretation?

For example, “let’s put a pin in it.”

Do you mean:

“No.”

“We’ll discuss it later.”

Or:

“I’ve already made my decision but I’d rather avoid the emotional admin that comes with saying it out loud.”

Clarity isn’t rude, it’s respectful. It respects people’s time and it gives them a fair chance of understanding what is expected of them. So say what you mean.

Because people cannot understand what has not been defined. And people cannot act on what they do not understand.

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