Number 27 of 52 Lifelong Communication Lessons: Dazed and befuddled
July 06, 2015 |
| Cover of TIME, January 18, 1998 |
It was the year 2000.
The human genome is mapped and Wikipedia is still a year away from being developed. The population of Metro Vancouver is 1,989,965. Today it is 2,313,328.
The millennium year was predicted to spur widespread disaster to computers in virtually every sector. Companies were spending buckets of money to ensure their systems would not crash or get confused between the year 2000 and 1999. People were talking about taking money out of the bank and preparing to run for the hills. Companies spent tons of money on technical upgrades. Y2K was freaking us all out. Only trouble was, many of us did not really understand it.
I was booked to be on call until midnight (and beyond, if necessary) for a client in emergency services. I remember the night well. We were having our annual New Year's Eve tradition of playing a game of Shanghai with my brother and his wife. We were keeping an eye on news around the world to see what evil events might unfold. When nothing happened in other time zones, we started to relax.
I distinctly remember the confusion around what would cause the problem. I never really understood how computers set to roll over from one year to the next could create such havoc. After asking many people to explain it, I finally gave up and focused on preparing how to communicate if there was a complete meltdown of the system.
As I watched the clock strike twelve and nothing happened, I checked in with my client and returned to the card game. What I remember most is the frustration of not really grasping the whole issue.
I have come across these types of scenarios more than a few times in my career. Complex matters should make sense. When someone cannot articulate the situation in simple terms, it is worrisome. I don't need to understand all the intricacies of a particular technology to comprehend issues that might arise. The Y2K event could have impacted me personally and professionally and I still was not motivated to really get it.
Now, when faced with similar challenges around complex subjects, I keep asking until I get it. I rephrase what I hear in language that makes sense to me. I looked at the Y2K story on Wikipedia and my eyes glazed over... again. Even now, I don't care enough to absorb all the murky details.
I expect this might be why some big political issues or stories never get a lot of traction. It is much easier to focus on something lighter and symbolic rather than delve into the complexities of big policy or community changes. It makes me rethink how we need to exchange information in the public forum. Let's not trivialize the information but let's make it easier to digest. In the interest of good public dialogue on complex issues, we all need to find better ways to have informed discussions.
Communication Lessons:
- The communication around anything that could impact a large number of people must be worked and reworked until it is understandable. (There will be something similar in 2038 - better start prepping now for Y2K38.)
- Experts are not always expert communicators. We must help them by asking good questions and restating their words until we get it.
- Don't completely give up your life for work. As much as I was on call for that job, I still had an enjoyable evening.
Fast Forward to 2015:
Vancouver's transit referendum just resulted in a majority "no" vote. It was close. I expect a lot of people think we need better transportation but did not either believe the information provided or did not trust the organization/people involved. Both are communication issues.
Posts
0 comments