The Importance of Clarity

Clarity is simply the state of how clear something is. Something is clear when it is free from obstructions, blemishes, errors, doubt, or confusion.

Clarity is a principle that is key to the foundation of true communication.

I recently watched a video where Steven Covey talked about the concept of execution gap. This where there are goals and there are people, but there is something missing in getting things done.

Mr. Covey goes on to say that clear goals needs to be communicated effectively. Communication only happens when a message is received and understood. If the second point is missing then no communication has taken place. Therefore the message is not clear.
How then is a message clearly communicated?

Simply stated, first seek to understand then be understood. This is much easier said then done, but clarifing communication in the beginning is much more useful then trying to communincate excuses towards the end. Have you ever said, "I thought you meant …" or "I heard you say …." This is an unfortunate reality of many miscommunicated messages.

The techniques for clarifying communication are beyond the scope of this post, but I will say that paraphrasing, albeit can sound condescending at times, it a powerful tool.

Regardless, this is the first key in communicating a clear message.

The next point assumes the goals have been clearly communicated but the new challenge is personalization. Not in the sense of customization. Rather what does this message mean to the person or people it is being communicated to? Is it personal? Does it connect with them in a meaningful way? This is an interesting parallel to Krashen's idea of meaningful input for second language acquisition. Meaningful communication learned naturally is retained at a higher rate than language learned by rote.

In other words, repeating the message won't clarify it, but relating it how it will be in the interest of the other person will help to make it meaningful. It is like the WIIFM theory
(What's in it for me) where the details outside of my personal sphere are of not interest to me.

The direct connection of meaningful input to an individual's buy-in is critical in providing motivation. This motivation can secure ownership. Mr. Covey suggests the individuals that do not take ownership of goal will not have the passion needed to make it happen.

Is the message clear and is it personalized? The answer to this question is the second key.

Finally Mr. Covey says if the communication is clear and ownership has been taken, the last obstruction to execution is clarity of role? If I am ready to jump in, I want to know what I should do when I land. David Allen says that a worker who cranks widgets at his job knows what his schedule is like everyday. He sees a beginning and an end (an often coveted lunch break too, I suppose). He role is to crank widgets at 9:00 - 17:00. At the end of the day, he goes home. (See interview from AC).

This is a clear role, this is the final key to closing the execution gap. As mentioned in an earlier post, Miller states that short term memory is limited to 7 ±2 chunks of information. Using this as a baseline it could be assumed that a role with more that 7 ±2 hats is not a clear goal. For the purposes of clarity a role should be limited to one hat. A resource can be assigned multiple roles, but each role should should be clear.

To sum this up, clarity is important because if the message is not communicated and not made personal and the roles are not unique then we can expect an execution gap to occur. By clarifying goals, meaningfulness, and roles we can increase our chances of success.


Thanks for you ear!


Matthew, MB

Beat your Mental