making the complex clear in knowledge communication georgiatech talk
TRANSCRIPT
Making the Complex Clear in the Communication of Experts and Policy Makers
Research Evidence and Practical Guidelines
Martin J. Eppler, PhDChair of Communications Management
www.knowledge-communication.org
www.clear-communication.org
School of Public Policy Speaker Series, February 12th, 2015
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Premise:
Wright’s and Wittgenstein's Wisdom
What can be said at all,
can be said clearly.
Lack of clarity is the
number one time waster.
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February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Agenda of the Talk
1. Research Context & Questions
2. Research Framework
3. Research Findings
4. Guidelines
5. Conclusion
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Research Context & Questions:
Expert-based Decision Making
Engineers LawyersPolitical
AnalystsFinancial
Analysts
IT
Analysts
Managers Managers Public
Policy
Makers
Investors CIOs
= Knowledge Transfer through Communication
ENABLING CONDITIONS? FREQUENT MISTAKES? METHODS?
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Research Focus:
Knowledge Communication
We define knowledge communication as the (deliberate) activity of
interactively conveying and co-constructing insights, assessments,
experiences, or even skills through verbal and non-verbal means.
The transfer of know-how, know-why, know-what, and know-who
through face-to-face or media-based interaction.
Knowledge Communication is more than communicating information
because it requires
– conveying context, background, and assumptions,
– conveying personal insights and experiences,
– conveying rationale and reasoning,
– conveying perspective and priorities,
– conveying hunches, intuition, skills (implicit knowledge).
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Agenda of the Talk
1. Research Context & Questions
2. Research Framework
3. Research Findings
4. Guidelines
5. Conclusion
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Framework: Stages of Knowledge
Communication
Identifi-
cation
Need Arti-
culationAnalysis Transfer Use
Finding the
right experts
Articulating
the relevant
problem
parameters
Finding
the right
insights
Communi-
cating
the insights
adequately
Ensuring
that the
insights
are
used
Macro-levelMicro-level Macro-level
Decision Maker Tasks Domain Expert Tasks Decision Maker Tasks
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Identifi-
cation
Need Arti-
culationAnalysis Transfer Use
‚Skill
Matching‘
Problem
(champion
bias)
‚Anomalous
State of
Knowledge‘
(ASK)
‚Paralysis
by Analysis‘
‚Curse of
Knowledge‘,
‚Information
Overload‘
‚Knowing-
Doing
Gap‘
Macro-level Micro-level Macro-level
DM Tasks Domain Expert Tasks DM Tasks
Problems at each Stage
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Agenda of the Talk
1. Research Context & Question
2. Research Framework
3. Research Findings
4. Guidelines
5. Conclusion
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Research Approach and Results
Mixed Methods Approach:
– Literature Review (on knowl. comm. theories, problems)
– Expert Interviews
– Surveys (i.e., on clear communication)
– Case Studies (Brookings, Gartner, EIU, GfK, Military/Gov’t,
Telco, World Economic Forum)
– Experiments (on visual knowledge communication)
– Focus Groups with Experts and Decision Makers (i.e., with
engineers, executives, lawyers)
Results:
– Compilation of Knowledge Communication Problems
– Description of Contextual (enabling/inhibiting) Factors
– Development of Methods, Tools and Techniques
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Case Example:
Importance of Boundary spanning:
– Analysts have government experience, academic training,
and T-shaped profiles
– Extensive networking activities
Importance or Review and Feedback Processes
– Pre-wiring with decision makers of reports
– Focus Groups with future users
Importance of Accessibility and Versatility of
Content
– In-house TV and radio studio
– Scalable information: same report in different granularities
and formats.
– Making it resonating
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February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Struggling with Making the Complex
Clear
”It’s particularly (difficult) if three or more things
interact. You write in terms of, now what I am
going to tell you is difficult to know, but for God’s
sake, it is not enough. Therefore, I am going to tell
you this. But, by the way, this is only true if.. (..)
If it is a subject I know, I can write what I have to
write in half an hour. But it always comes out 2 to 3
times too long and then I spend hours to get it
shorter.” (C. Schultze).
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February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Scalable Insights
” The logic is, policy makers don't read 500 page
books, I like to write 500 pages books.
So we can still write the 500 pages books but we
write the conclusions of those in a format that is
more accessible to them.
So there is the 8 page version, the 30 page
version and the 500 page version.
So you hope that the policy maker, or more likely
the congressional staff members, read the 8 page
version of a policy brief and go from there to more
depth.” (K. Weaver)
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Making the Complex Clear in
Congressional Hearings
“If you have five minutes, you have to make key points. You have to figure
out, what is your main message, what is the main message you want to get
across? (..) You just try to convey three core things and hope they would
remember one of them. And then the written testimony gives more of the
background. “
Figure out why this is difficult for people to get and write to that. (..) Time
and again, I think I can explain something better I had struggled with than
something that is obvious. (..) In these cases, I can figure out with what
somebody else will be struggling with as well” (C. Schultze).
I imagine saying that to a person who is intelligent but who is not trained in
economics. What is the insight that I have to offer in plain English?”
“I find it most helpful to talk rather than to read testimonies. Reading out
loud testimonies is boring as hell” (W. Gale).
If it is a subject I know, I can write what I have to write in half an hour. But it
always comes out 2 to 3 times too long and then I spend hours to get it
shorter.” (C. Schultze).
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February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Making it Resonating
“If you start: ‘The present value of the social security deficit is
4 trillion dollars’, they ask what you intend with present value,
and you go and say that it is the amount today that with
interest will equal.. and it just puts them off. I will say ‘present
value’, (..) to make sure it is accurate, but I kind of put it at
the end so that (..) so it does not block the listeners mind. I
would say: ‘Over the next 75 years the social security deficit is
4 trillion dollars in present value’” (W. Gale).
“It is important to use analogies, anchoring techniques,
examples, sometimes even a story to illustrate a good point”
(W. Gale).
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February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Know thy Users: Focus Groups at
Brookings
”One of the reasons why we did this focus group was
to find out, whether we were disseminating ideas
properly, in the right format, in the right time.
(..) You always have to keep changing and adapt
yourself to the times.
One of the slogans I have is doing things the same
way as we did last year, is just an excuse for not
thinking” (R. Nessen).
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Brookings Board Network
(based on theyrule.net)
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Brookings Board Network 2015
(based on theyrule.net)
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February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Conduits to Impact
“Isabel Sawhill came up with this idea of a partially
refundable child tax credit. We publicized the idea
in the form of a policy brief.
But I guess the key thing was that we had a lunch
on Capitol Hill with the senators' staffers.
About 15 staffers came, including some key staffers
of some moderate Republicans came who were
looking for something that would make the bill less
aggressive. They essentially took this proposal, put
it in the bill and it became law in about a month and
a half. That is really unusual.” (K. Weaver).
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Consolidating our Research Findings:
The Complex to Clear Approach
Enablers
• S tandards
• T raining
• A ccountability
• R eviews
• T ools
• E xamples
• R esources
Clarification Process
From Complex
• C omplicated
• O verloaded
• M essy
• P olysemic
• L inked
• E verchanging
• X traneous
To Clear
• C ontextualized
• L ogical Structure
• E ssential
• A mbiguity-free
• R esonating
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
“Too many Cooks“
Description: A document has been compiled
by involving different departments with equal
power regarding the document. The
individual sections are inconsistent,
overlapping and in different styles which
creates confusion.
Example: strategy briefing to employees.
Problem Driver: Lack of Ownership
Remedy: Assign clear ownership rights to
one co-ordinator with clearly defined input
deadlines and gateways.
Working with Clarity Problem Patterns
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Agenda of the Talk
1. Research Context & Question
2. Research Framework
3. Research Findings
4. Guidelines
5. Conclusion
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
The CLEAR Formula Applied (Examples)
from clear-communication.org
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
2525
Message Map Tool (WHO) Stakeholder:
Question/Concern/Issue
Key Message/Fact 1. Key Message/Fact 2. Key Message/Fact 3.
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 1.1
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 1.3
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 1.2
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 2.1
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 2.2
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 2.3
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 3.1
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 3.2
Keywords:
Supporting
Fact 3.3
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Agenda of the Talk
1. Research Context & Question
2. Research Framework
3. Research Findings
4. Guidelines
5. Conclusion
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Conclusion
Knowledge Communication from expert to decision
maker is an essential task for effective policy
development.
Making the complex clear is a key challenge in this
task and requires a systematic management effort.
Managing clarity requires standards, training,
accountability, reviews, training with examples, and
resources (STARTER)
This can ensure contextualized, logically structured,
essential, ambiguity-free, and resonating messages
to policy makers (CLEAR).
PubPolicy Talk
February 2015
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Prof. Dr. Martin J. Eppler / =mcminstitute / HSG
Reference: For more information
Eppler, M.J., Bischof, N.: Complex to Clear, St. Gallen: mcm
institute, 2011.