Communication Values

Often businesses will spend months designing a product or service diligently attempting to make sure everything is in tip top shape before introducing it to their customers. More frequently now companies and teams are creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The idea is to get something that is good with the expectation of improving the design with feedback from customers and users. It makes sense. No matter how good the design is you just don’t know how well something is going to work until you use it. Let’s approach our core values for communication as an MVP. I am landing on these five communication and attitude values. 

1. Assumption of good will – honoring the “other”
2. Listen to understand before speaking
3. Resist the spirit of anger, alienation, division and dismissal so prevalent in much of the current public conversation
4. Epistemological humility – there is more that I don’t know than I do
5. Speaking the truth in love – speak up and speak out without demanding acceptance or agreement

Each requires a good deal of fleshing out. I actually started to do that with #1 last week and will continue to share my thoughts more fully around each one. As always, I am interested in your thoughts and reactions. I have my own and don’t pretend that making a commitment to stay within the boundaries of these values with my communication will be easy. I would also love to hear your stories as, together, we work at cancelling our own personal cancel culture.

What Can You Do?

1. Just listen in by reading, to the conversation if you are interested.
2. Make a commitment to speaking truth as you see it within the guidelines of the values.
3. Send examples of blogs, articles, podcasts, and other voices who seem aligned to these values.
4. Write your own material, if you are inclined that way, and add it this conversation.
5. Send questions, comments, challenges, etc.

Any or all of the above is fine and will be greatly appreciated.

If you want to stay current with the conversation you can follow the blog or send an email to me (wwlivingston@gmail.com) and I will put you on an email list to receive weekly updates. I have been encouraged by the responses received to date. I remain convinced that the radical fringes on both ends of the spectrum do not represent the heart and soul of the vast majority.