You’d like to address a potentially sensitive topic with a neighbor, co-worker, or boss, and you dread it. It might turn ugly. You fear an unpleasant reaction.

Often, when attempting to communicate on delicate matters, we start out by giving the other person a bunch of information (specific facts, dates, places, times, actions, and words) all tangled up with meaning (our own assumptions, interpretations, judgments, exaggerations, and inferences). The result can be an undesired and unproductive confrontation.

As you plan to address a sensitive topic, untangle objective information from the subjective meaning that you ascribe to the information. We create meaning when interpreting information, and individuals can derive different meanings from the same information.

“There is a profound difference between information and meaning.”
—Warren Bennis

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