Finding Clarity in the Ambiguity of Language, in Business and Beyond by Dr Andreas Wandelt.

Can we ever say something which cannot be misunderstood? Something that guarantees we get our point across? No, we can't. Natural language is ambiguous and unclear, no matter how much clarity we may want or need. There is no way around it. If we try to remove ambiguity from language, we get legalese, programming languages, math notation, and other things we don't want.

So, should we at least strive for clarity? Sometimes, ambiguity may be more beneficial. It can help to leave things vague. We can "soften the blow" of a message that needs to be delivered. We can leave things "open to interpretation". Deliberately planting a seed, to be picked up, and its meaning shaped, by a communication partner and THEIR interpretation. And what about the competing clarities of two contradictory positions?

Let us explore the uses of ambiguity and clarity as part of our meaning-making. How do we navigate this space? What motivates us to seek one or the other? Is there meaningful guidance on how and when to use each? Let us gain some clarity on this...

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Andreas lives in Northwest Germany, and pursues an enhanced understanding of the world, mainly through a complex adaptive systems lens. His tagline could be "bacteria, brains and societies". When his degrees of freedom were more limited, he worked on process and organizational change and stability topics for large organizations, across a wide variety of geographical/cultural contexts. He also has a basic scientific education by way of a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. Andreas severely resents the notion that he has "retired". He instead insists that his learning just became profit-independent.

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