What Google Translate taught me about communication (and problem solving)...

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."

-John Keating

When I was around seven, one of our neighbors would quiz me on my vocabulary. Being seven, I was happy to spend what seemed like hours providing meanings to words as she questioned me. I beamed when she told me, "what great vocabulary you have for a seven-year-old." I think this was the start of my downfall.

I am THAT person that would choose ten significant words to convey meaning and intent in place of just answering the question. There is power in words, and for years I wielded them to create depth to conversations. My vocabulary has always treated me well until it didn't.

One of the organizations I work with is a Non-Profit that operates in Mexico. Friends of Barron creates community action through access to health care, education, training, and community building. For me, it's been an opportunity right up my alley… except for the fact that I don't speak Spanish. Creating strategy; got it. Getting multiple stakeholders on the same page to create action; check. Identifying root issues and creating manageable steps for success; I love it! Speaking Spanish unless it involves ordering food, asking directions, or trying to buy something; I FAIL!

A while ago, I started working on a project to align technology curriculums with graduating students with marketing workforce skills. I set out to get four school principals to agree on everything from curriculum to overcoming social obstacles. I quickly learned that their English was much better than my Spanish. The sad part is that it says very little for any of us.

SOUNDBITES

Not to ruin the ending, but we did triumph. With the help of my friend Margaret, acting as a translator, we started a series of meetings. Margaret would look at me and say, "SOUNDBITES, Jeremy, SOUNDBITES!". So, I learned to think about my words, choose the simplest, and speak less. I learned to take my time and ask one critical question and then find the answer. I learned to do it again, and again, and again until we created a solution. It took me 15 years of facilitation and problem solving to learn that less is more powerful than more. Simple is more potent than complex.

I'm still working with the community of Barron and the Non-Profit, Friends of Barron. I recently wrote a long email to the principals on a new project with the schools in Barron. Margaret, let me know how much better my Spanish has become. I had to tell her it wasn't my Spanish that improved; it was working through one thought and then repeating. Much like us, Google Translate understands simple better than it understands the space in my head. Google Translate also helped me to think about business problems, one critical item at a time. It's was said, "Rome was not built in a day," and neither were solutions to complex problems.

Have a business issue you want to fix, find out how Kennell Strategy can help you solve your wildest business problems one simple step at a time.

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