Information size: How distinguishing between "overview" and "detail" can help you better understand and reach other people

This article is based on content from our intensive seminar"ThePower of Language – Information Processing."

Do you know people who give endless, rambling answers to simple questions? Who always list every tiny detail, even though a simple"yes"or"no"would have sufficed? Or have you ever had to drag every single detail out of someone? Someone who, with their short answers, gives you the feeling that they are leaving out important information and seems almost disinterested? Which scenario do you find yourself in more often? And which one drives you up the wall more often?

Misunderstandings as a stumbling block in leadership

Communication conflicts are an annoying, often recurring obstacle in leadership. You are probably familiar with this scenario: people sit together, discuss something, nod, leave the room, and then do something completely different. The differences between people are often identified as the problem. But it's not the differences themselves. Rather, it's the unprofessional way they are dealt with that is responsible for the daily challenges in communication. In this article, I would like to offer you another distinction (see also: connection patterns) and an effective way of dealing with it. Would you like to further develop your view of yourself and others? Then let's get started...

Custom filter: Information size – overview versus detail

We humans differ in our individual reception and presentation of information in two fundamental forms of speech patterns. Imagine the following image:

The pilot of an airplane flies over a landscape at an altitude of 10,000 meters and looks down. What does he see? Perhaps villages, forests, roads... From his perspective, it is easy to determine the location of individual objects in relation to each other. He literally sees the "big picture" and can more easily recognize connections. However, if you were to ask him about the individual license plates of the cars on the roads, he would be hopelessly lost. He would also have no use for the information because it is not relevant to his view.

The pilot of a helicopter, on the other hand, flies close to the ground. What will he see when he looks down on one of the villages? Depending on his altitude, he can see how many people are out and about in the streets. He can distinguish between green spaces, vehicles, and street signs. However, he cannot tell you anything about the roads that lead to other villages or the location of individual villages in relation to each other.

Now ask both of them the same question: "What do you see?" The airplane pilot will give a brief and concise description of the situation. The helicopter pilot, on the other hand, will start listing everything he sees. Does this sound familiar? One perceives things from a bird's-eye view, reducing them to the essentials. The other notices every detail. He leaves nothing out and rarely forgets important information.

Which of the two is right?

Suppose you are sitting in the doctor's office and ask, "What are the consequences of this treatment?" How would you feel if he replied, "Oh, there are a few"? And what if you casually ask a colleague, "So, how are things going?" and he tells you half his life story?

In practice, there is no better or worse. It is more a matter of deciding individually, depending on the context, which form of communication is more effective. You can see what happens when this fit is not managed professionally in the classic scenario found in many organizations: conflicts between project managers and employees.

Why project managers and employees often clash

The project manager's main job is to make sure the project moves forward. They need to focus on the big picture and keep track of who's responsible for what part of the work. If they are supervising several projects, they must be able to switch back and forth depending on who they are talking to. If they can effectively manage both sides, they will always focus briefly on the details (What is the next step to move forward in this project?) before switching back to the big picture (And what does that mean for the other projects?).

What he wants from his project team members is often for them to be concise and get to the point. This saves him time and promotes efficiency. But what often happens in reality? Both managers and employees get bogged down in unnecessary details, leading to delays.

Misunderstandings in meetings...

This is best observed in meetings: how often does it happen that participants get hopelessly bogged down in details, causing the entire group to lose focus? This is one of the main reasons why meetings have such a bad reputation. When the leader makes a decision based on the big picture, they are often unaware of the consequences this will have in practice. The project employee, who tends to be more detail-oriented, will internally sound the alarm bells: "Does he even know how much work this will involve?!"

... and in private life

But this language pattern can be a stumbling block not only in a professional context. As a rule, it is a potential source of conflict, especially in relationships. Since every person has both sides within them, and these sides manifest themselves to varying degrees depending on the context, there is often a contrasting distribution to be found here.

The classic example is the man who doesn't notice which detail of the interior design his wife has changed. Days, often weeks, pass before he notices. However, the reason for this is not disinterest, but rather his pattern of perception in the context of "home." If, on the other hand, he happens to change a small detail, his partner notices it very quickly (provided she has a strong attention to detail in the context of "home"). The presumption of innocence that otherwise applies is usually quickly overturned here, and conflicts take their course.

It is also interesting to see how this program affects the relationship between parents and children. When parents come home tired after a long day and their child enthusiastically tells them about everything they have experienced, this often leads to overload. The parents switch off. The child senses, consciously or unconsciously, that they are not being listened to. One possible solution that benefits everyone involved is to address the issue and agree on a rule. In the future, the child could ask, "Mom, Dad, can I tell you briefly about what I experienced today?"

There are many people who know exactly when certain people they talk to on the phone are about to launch into a long monologue. Some even press the "mute button" and devote themselves to other activities. What may seem funny here affects all of us. When do you figuratively press your"mute button"?

How you can operate the two poles:

Detail:

• Provide detailed arguments, don't leave anything out.
• Avoid jumps in content
• Proceed step by step (e.g., instructions)
• Provide small units of information (daily rather than annual plans)
• Speak in sequences
• Ask: "What exactly would you like to tell me?"

Overview:

• Don't get bogged down in excessive detail.
• If possible, get to the point and provide summaries.
• Use simple sentences without many nested clauses or modifiers.
• If you need to communicate necessary details, ask beforehand if the other person is ready to listen ("Can I briefly explain the detailed procedure to you?").
• For all arguments, always explain how they relate to the big picture, or their significance in the larger context.
• If you want to get people's attention here, ask, "May I get straight to the point?"

Finally, I would like to summarize these three key points for you:

• Every person is both detail-oriented and big-picture-oriented. They just express these traits in different contexts. Neither is good or bad. The context and the respective goal determine what is effective at any given moment.
• Detailed work is important for experiencing flow. On the other hand, you need to take a broad view in order to set priorities and avoid overloading yourself.
• The detail-oriented type does not want to bore you. It is important to them to provide you with all the information they consider necessary. The overview type is not uninterested. They simply do not perceive the details at the moment.

We often experience"aha moments"in our management training courses when we convey this simple distinction. You now have the theoretical knowledge to put it into practice.

Image source: ©Pixabay