Thanks to the group's valuable experience, we gained numerous insights on how to manage stakeholders effectively.
A significant challenge is ensuring effective communication every time. A single slip of the tongue can lead to major misunderstandings, sparking conflicts and making interactions difficult and unpleasant. That's why it's crucial to "think before you speak." Another way to achieve effective communication is beautifully illustrated in this story about Socrates.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was renowned for his wisdom. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple Filter Test?" "That's right," Socrates continued.
"Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth.
Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and....."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter”.
The second filter is Goodness.
“Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. However, you may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left.”
The third filter of Usefulness.
“Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?" "No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good even useful…. why tell it to me at all?"
Next time you communicate with your stakeholders or any customer, whether internal or external, consider applying the Triple Filter Test before speaking, lest you end up having to eat your own words.
Stakeholder Management Workshop for Senior Finance Analysts & Area Managers of Mott Macdonald, Ahmedabad.
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