Meeting people where they are
It's simple, not easy....
Realization One:
If you want someone to understand where you’re coming from, you have to make the decision to meet them where they are.
What that means is this: you’re going to have to subjugate your ego’s desire to subdue the other person with your language and USE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE AND MENTAL MODELS INSTEAD.
Realization Two:
If you want someone to understand where you’re coming from, you must first realize:
What the learner learns is a function of what they already know. - The Kullback-Leibler Divergence
What that means is this: your message is filtered through the mental frameworks the target already possesses.
Realization Two:
Once you understand the mental make-up of your target, your next objective is to meet people where they are mentally by applying Janusian and Homospatial thinking.
Janusian Thinking is thinking in opposites. The Janusian process consists of actively conceiving two or more opposite or contradictory ideas, concepts, or images simultaneously.
Homospatial Thinking is thinking in multiple domains simultaneously.
Homospatial Thinking is a process that consists of actively conceiving two or more discrete entities occupying the same space or spatial location, a conception leading to the articulation of new integrations.
By leveraging janusian thinking and homospatial thinking, using analogies that resonate with their current language and mental models, you’ll give yourself the best chance and making things resonant with the fewest amount of words.
Summary:
Learning builds on existing knowledge, adapting your message to align with the target's cognitive frameworks, meeting them mentally where they are through the dual application of Janusian and Homospatial thinking, which embrace simultaneous opposites and layered domains to enable new insights.
Always remember:
You have to meet people where they are. - Anonymous
What the learner learns is a function of what they already know. - The Kullback-Leibler Divergence
Nobel Prizes are won through the application of Janusian and Homospatial thinking. - Rothenberg
