Which way is up?

INTRODUCTION

It is my job to help individuals “make sense” of things and be able to understand what often lies “beyond words”.

As sensory beings, I work within the framework that we form meaning from information processed through our sensory system; we form experiences, associations and attach meaning to these.

The communication route we take from the non-verbal experience to its verbal destinations involves our use of imagination, creativity, metaphors, paradoxes and storytelling.

No communication or expression takes place without this process. We create first, think later.

I refer to the title: Which way is up? What does it make you think of, associate with, or react to?

By definition it “means that the person is confused or disoriented.”

And because communication is a complex system, it will lead to confusion more often than not. This is why we find a plethora of articles, books and training in the “how” of communication.

It's all about cmmnctn!

I am thrilled to see the pendulum swing my way and witness business embrace creativity. I see an increase number in the use of paradoxes in articles, I read about how to enhance our creativity to solve problems, how to use storytelling to get our audience to hear and connect to what we are saying, and how to use metaphors for branding.

At the same time, I am definitely concerned about how these strategies are being used. Most of the time they appear as part of the new jargon of what can “successfully” boost our ability to get our message across; the “magic” or “secret” to that success. As such, the essence of what each word represents, and its potential, is lost.

What all paradoxes, metaphors and stories or narratives have in common is that they reflect human experience, they hold both individual and common meanings. They are not cookie cutter ideas or templates to be used in a certain way. They need to be understood and applied in a meaningful manner.

Part One: Paradoxes

A metaphor about paradoxes.

"It is time to acknowledge that paradox is a thread that is woven through the fabric of life. You may be able to tug on it, but pull too hard and the fabric begins to unravel. - SJ

Paradox is defined as “something (such as a situation) that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible.”

Within the definition of paradox there is an embedded paradox: The impossible can be possible.

A paradox can integrate opposites. Opposites do not exist; opposites are created. In both our personal and professional lives, it is more manageable to work with ideas, strategies, plans, goals, relationships, feelings and so on, if we place them in an opposite:

Life/Death; Good/Evil; Right/Wrong; Pleasure/Pain; Love/Hate; Beautiful/Ugly; Rich/Poor; Success/Failure; to name just a few.

These states, however useful they are in organizing ourselves, do not exist; they have been created by us to help us make sense of who we are, in relation to others, and our environment.

Opposites, as adjectives, describe, “a position on the other or further side of something; diametrically different; of a contrary kind.”  This adjective can be applied as a means to clarify a part of a whole but is not accurate if it is to define a place that is separate or distinct from another.

Herman Hesse writes about a place beyond opposites:

"Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it. Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists, other, new insights begin.
We are equipped with an innate mechanism that enables us to deal with dualities. Homeostasis is defined as “the tendency of the body to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internal environment, even when faced with external changes."

Question: How can a paradox enable communication?

Answer: A paradox can integrate the dualities and allow us to understand the larger perspective.

The developmental side of paradox.

Being independently dependent, fulfills the definition of a paradox as it seems to be saying two opposite things but that may be true.

Alison Gopnik writes in her book, The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us about Truth, Love ..., about the dependent side of the paradox.

"What is childhood? It is a distinctive developmental period in which young human beings are uniquely dependent on adults….Human beings have a much more extended period of immaturity and dependence, a much longer childhood, than other species… " (2011, p.10)

Winnicott, a pediatrician and psychoanalyst, expands on this when he describes his theoretical concept of a “holding” environment: an environment that allows you to safely feel taken care of, protected, understood, accepted unconditionally, and held in such a way that your consciousness which, at the beginning of human development is unformed, fluid, and changeable, can grow spontaneously and naturally on its own. (Excerpt from The Holding Environment)

The paradox that is created as a result of this theoretical concept is: In order for an infant to develop a sense of self as independent from others, it is dependent on the other to provide the environment in which to develop this sense.

The meaning of this paradox carries over into all aspects of our lives. Winnicott’s quote reinforces that attachment is a crucial factor in business success. If you are in business without developing attachments, success will be a challenge in the making. And I don’t just mean “you can’t do it alone” or “you need to surround yourself with a supportive team”, etc. I mean; if you do not develop an attachment to at least one person in your striving to succeed, the potential of success cannot be realized.

For entrepreneurs, CEOs, managers or team members, a business attachment is formed when you give up the idea that the work and success are yours alone. Your dream, vision, drive, motivation, persistence and all the other qualities you need in your toolbox for success are unique to you, as is your fingerprint, but there are people out there who hold parts of those qualities, shaped in their unique way, that can attach to yours in a perfect fit. Being connected is “like-minded”. Being attached is “forming an extension” of your business self.

We exist in this paradox; we are individuals who fight for individuality while we are social animals who depend on community.

Part Two: Metaphors

Michael Michalko (2012) states that "creativity, no matter which of its many definitions you favor, requires looking at the world in a different way and trying fresh approaches to problems. An easy way to shake up your thinking is metaphorically. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that means one thing is used to describe an object or idea to which it is not literally applicable."

When we think metaphorically we utilize our ability to imagine. Our imagination is given expression through the non-verbal (visual symbols) and verbal language of metaphors. The metaphor is "out there" to make it possible for us to hear, see and experience things "in a new light which, in turn, may lead to solutions that might not otherwise be anticipated." (Michalko, M. 2012)

Metaphors permeate human thought and action (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). As such, becoming conscious of their use, and applying this language in a stimulating and meaningful way, will provide thinkers; critical, divergent, scientific, or otherwise, with the means to creatively express their thoughts, ideas and solutions to the problems being addressed.

The metaphor of the Russian Dolls.

A set of matryoshkas consist of a wooden figure which separates, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on.

Matryoshkas are used metaphorically, as a design paradigm, known as the "matryoshka principle" or "nested doll principle". It denotes a recognizable relationship of "object-within-similar-object" that appears in the design of many other natural and crafted objects. Examples of this use include the Matrioshka brain and the Matroska media-container format.

Image credit: Guild Wars 2 Forum

The onion metaphor is of similar character. If the outer layer is peeled off an onion, a similar onion exists within. This structure is employed by designers in applications such as the layering of clothes or the design of tables, where a smaller table nests within a larger table, and a smaller one within that.

The Matroska (MKV) multimedia container format derives its name from Matryoshka, alluding to the container being able to hold many different types of content streams. (wikipedia)

Part Three: Storytelling

The act of storytelling is a central part of who we are. Stories help make sense of our world and our place in it and we define ourselves by a story within time. We create stories; verbally, oral and written, and non-verbally, through movement/dance, visual symbols and signs/visual arts, and sound making/music. Where there is life, in any form, there is communication. But only humans tell stories.

Here is a current example of how a LaRae Guy tells a story from her personal life to communicate a perspective relevant to our business lives.

"I learned how to remove obstacles on our cattle ranch by saddling up a horse and riding through cow herds to get them to greener pastures. If a lazy cow did not want to move, it was my job to push her along until the entire herd was together.
My Dad taught me to saddle and ride horses, rope steers, and herd cattle when I was in grade school. So no one was more surprised than me when Dad brought home a couple of four-wheel ATVs a few years ago and used them, instead of horses, to check on the cattle.
The ATV looked much easier to ride than a horse when I first saw it and I was anxious to try it out! Dad took off first and I followed. The terrain on our ranch is mountainous, however, so I soon found myself sideways on a steep hill and in danger of tipping over. Suddenly, this huge motorcycle on four wheels looked more dangerous than any horse I’d ever ridden.
To go headfirst down the steep hill and over the cliff appeared even more dangerous, so I continued to inch my way down sideways—it seemed the safer router. By now, Dad had stopped his ATV and was running toward me.
“Turn your wheels straight downhill,” he shouted. “Only by facing it head-on can you get safely down the cliff,” he said. Slowly, I turned the wheels straight down the steep embankment ahead of me, and the ATV started to move forward. I made it safely to the bottom.
Turns out that leaning into the unknown is the best way to remove obstacles. While in new agent’s class at the FBI Academy, our instructors continually placed us in training situations where we were required to remove obstacles. For many of us, our first reaction was to either pull back or take circuitous routes around the obstacle. But the message by our instructors was this: Only by moving into the unknown are we be able to explore it.
To increase safety, move toward the unknown.
To increase chances for success, move toward the challenge.
The closer we get to the unknown, the more we can educate ourselves about it. The steps to follow and actions to take may not reveal themselves to us until we have moved closer to the situation. Mountain climbers understand that it’s impossible to know where to place fingers and feet by looking at a mountain from the bottom. Only by getting close enough to explore the cracks and crevices can they find places of safety.
A great deal of my FBI training was learning how to lean into the unknown so we could remove obstacles. Entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders can do the same."LaRae Guy

The beauty of storytelling is that it embodies our imagination, and uses paradoxes and metaphors, to communicate.

Final words!

Please don’t go for the “quick fix”, or look to discover the “secret” to communication. Go back to your first language, the language of creativity, and reconnect with your innate ability to communicate. This will naturally lead to your success.