Ruse of Ambiguity

The Ruse of Ambiguity
By Mike Myatt

Have you ever finished listening to an explanation from a purported subject matter expert only to wonder what it was they just said? It has been my experience that the more vague, general or ambiguous an explanation, the less command of the subject matter the person doing the explaining likely possesses. It is one thing to toss around the latest buzz-words, but it is quite another thing to actually know what they mean and have the ability to correctly apply them. In today’s blog post I’m going to reveal the tricks of those who practice what I call “the black art of confusion.”

Those of you that know me have come to understand that I prefer to cut to the chase and get to the root of an issue as quickly as possible. While I appreciate the great oratory skills of those who communicate using wonderful word pictures or the academics that can wax eloquent always using best form of prose, I prefer my business communication to be quick and dirty…In the immortal words of Jack Webb: “The facts ma’am..just the facts.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not word bashing as I enjoy and appreciate anyone who has command of a great vocabulary (see an earlier post entitled “Vocabulary…It does Matter“), but I don’t have time for a 30 minute explanation of something that could have been, and should have been communicated in 2 minutes…Ahh, the lost art of brevity, but I digress.