Meaning is created in the eye of the beholder
The flow of information suggests the handover of
content from sender to receiver. Senders encode a message, make it available
via a medium, and if it reaches the receiver's consciousness, it can be decoded.
Due to the meta-model of language, the encoding distorts the original
intentions, making it impossible for them to be fully expressed. The medium
then creates noise in the message during transmission. Receivers decode the
perceived signals based on experience and knowledge, mental models, and
linguistic abilities. Like the "Chinese whispers", content is
swallowed and fictitiously invented. The result is a subjective, relative
truth, alternative facts that are ALWAYS defined by the receiver.
Nevertheless, it should be clear that meaning must be
designed to help viewers understand the intended message. The three phases of meaning design are:
- Recognized is not drafted!
Ideas must be made understandable so that they can be exchanged.
- Formulated is not accepted!
Concepts must be made communicable so that the exec(utives/utors) can commit themselves.
- Done is not known!
The first mission must be routinely done so that it develops into mastery.
The meta-model of language illustrates how the ideas
of our deep structure disappear between the lines on the way to the surface. As
a team, it is essential to proactively and consciously manage the messages and
results.