Make your relative ideas contagious — use absolute words

Leko Lin
Leko Lin
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read
Various maps of Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Photo ©2017 Leko Lin

How’s the pizza? “It’s alright.”

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being most delicious), that response in the US might mean it’s a 6, while in the UK might mean it’s an 8. (Correct me if I’m wrong.) Where “alright” falls on the spectrum between “good” and “bad” depends on how effusive your usual vocabulary is.

Tell me about the taste of this coffee.

“It’s bright and lively,” you might say, if you moved in coffee circles. But how would the questioning novice know that this is code for relatively sour, in contrast to the bitterness familiar in dark roasted coffees? You need these more abstract descriptions, because “sour” simply wouldn’t do justice to the flavor you can experience without having the words to convey. You also need everyone to understand the terms the same way.

The same goes for strategy. In Made to Stick (a book recommended by a client and graciously gifted to my project team by our fearless account leader), authors Chip & Dan Heath remind us that strategy is meant to guide behavior — and to do so, it must have the same clear meaning to all.


Not that our brains can’t be synchronized when interpreting things differently from each other. When we listen to music, or read a novel, we respond emotionally to uncertainty and suspense, as evidenced by the same specific brain regions being activated. However, even this synchrony becomes more powerful when we “catch” the same emotion — such as when a theater full of strangers watch a movie together.

It follows, then, that if we understand together, we can feel together (eg, about the importance of a common goal) — and a lot more can be achieved when we are connected than when we are disconnected.

And it’s perfectly OK if we still feel differently after we understand the same thing. At least then, we’d be disagreeing on the same terms. And that’s one step closer to finding a resolution.

[All views expressed in this post are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or any other entity with which I may be associated.]

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