No More Misunderstanding
Ensure that everyone understands you in every work situation.
Misunderstanding happens all the time
And the consequences costs all of us a lot of time and moneyCan you imagine how many people quit their job
because they had a different vision about it?
because they had a different vision about it?
but there is a way to avoid it...
Prevent misunderstanding by providing context
Whenever you discuss, present or explain anything, the key to making everyone understand is giving them enough context. They need to see how the new information relates to what they know. Regardless whether the new information is about a great idea you have, a common task assignment, a project goal, a decision made during the last meeting or a new company vision, you need to provide enough additional related information - the context - so that everyone can find the links between what you say and their point of view.Including context every time is a drag?
Only if not automated!
What may seem obvious to you might seem totally unclear to others - because they don't know everything you know. Putting together all the related information relevant from different point of views every time you need to discuss, present, write or just think about something is hard and time consuming. You need to imagine all the different backgrounds others might come from and think hard how what you want to say is related to them. You can spend tons of time looking for the links between your new information and the current knowledge of others involved. Or you can let ContextMinds find these links for you!How it works
Put thoughts into concepts, link them into context
and have clear visual basis for understanding.
and have clear visual basis for understanding.
ContextMinds has a database of concepts and relationships between them - it knows the context for each concept.
You create mind map-like schemas by selecting concepts cleverly suggested by ContextMinds.
If some concept is missing, you add it to your schema manually and ContextMinds will remember it for future.
Watch it on an example of explaining a job description
and comparing it with applicant's vision below.
and comparing it with applicant's vision below.
It all starts with putting thoughts into concepts
Find the key concepts of your idea or a problem. Concepts can be people, systems, activities, events, etc. involved in the problem. For example, if you are hiring and preparing the job description, the concepts would be the key responsibilities of the employee, and, e.g., systems she will work with.
Finding the concepts lets you structure your idea or a problem, which is the first step to understanding.
Finding the concepts lets you structure your idea or a problem, which is the first step to understanding.
Give the concepts names others will understand
Include context into names
Come up with names that are specific enough so that others will know what to imagine when they see the concepts. For example, not just "Key responsibilities" but rather "Key responsibilities of sales exec". Or not just "personal visits" but rather "personal visits to customers".Use the same words as others
Using the same words and terms as the other party makes understanding easier. ContextMinds helps you with that by suggesting previously used names.Group related concepts together
and link them to a common denominator
For example, there may be responsibilities related to sales enquiry and others related to marketing.
By linking specific concepts to more general ones, you are not only further structuring your idea. At the same time, you are adding context. For example, someone might not know what exactly is meant by "Develop ideas and create offers." But if you link it to "Marketing activities" it becomes clear that those ideas are supposed to be marketing ideas.
By linking specific concepts to more general ones, you are not only further structuring your idea. At the same time, you are adding context. For example, someone might not know what exactly is meant by "Develop ideas and create offers." But if you link it to "Marketing activities" it becomes clear that those ideas are supposed to be marketing ideas.
Add related concepts - the context
Come up with concepts that are not key parts of the problem but are related to it - are part of the problem context. This will help you think about the problem and others will have clearer understanding of it .
ContextMinds will find the context for you - it will suggest you the related concepts.
ContextMinds will find the context for you - it will suggest you the related concepts.
Link all concepts together
Draw links between the concepts representing the relationships between them. Link each concept to at least one other. Name the links to show meanings of the relationships.
ContextMinds will find the links for you.
Now you have a clear summary of what the job consists of and you may confront it with the views of others.
ContextMinds will find the links for you.
Now you have a clear summary of what the job consists of and you may confront it with the views of others.
Example - a job interview
Context schema is a great tool for making sure you understand the applicantand he understands you.
Make notes of the interview
Take notes of what the applicant says. Use the concepts from your job description and put them in the context of the applicant's view. You can even show the schema to the applicant. Thanks to the visual form, he will immediately see if there is something you understood incorrectly or if you omitted something.
ContextMinds will infer the context and will keep offering you just the concepts you need during the interview. So you won't have to type almost anything, except maybe some new ideas brought up by the applicant.
Put the notes in the context of the job description
Add the context of the job description to your notes from the interview: link applicant's concepts to yours. You will get a clear view of where the applicant agrees with the job (marked blue) and where his vision is different (marked red). You can use this schema as a basis for the next round of the interview.
ContextMinds will find the related concepts and interlink them for you.
