Basic Assumptions

Almost all of us have at least one area of expertise. Whatever it is, we know the subject matter backwards, forwards and in our sleep. Our expertise has been amassed over time and often, we’ve forgotten how hard we had to work when we first began to learn the material.

Indeed, because we are so familiar with the material, we know the items in the foundation on which they rest so well that we don’t have to think about them anymore. Over time, they have become basic assumptions. When we talk to others, we generally don’t mention them much less think about them — we likely proceed from the level above the foundation that comprises our basic assumptions.

The problem is that most people outside our area of expertise don’t know our area very well. They may know very little about it or nothing at all. They have no way to identify the basic assumptions that are crucial to understanding what we are saying. As a result, they may not understand what we are trying to tell them. It’s not that they are stupid. They are simply not experts in our field. In fact, if they were to talk to us about their area of expertise, we would run into the same problem.

It doesn’t matter whether one is an IT person, a financial expert, someone who knows history or politics or something else. If we want to talk to someone outside our own area of expertise and have them understand what we are saying, we have to dredge up those basic assumptions, uncover them and lay them out in the light of day.