Purpose

Reduce misunderstandings and increase communication effectiveness by building awareness of assumptions we make interpreting other’s intentions, and by creating glossaries for future reference.

When to Use

In important relationships, especially when involving people from mixed cultures or languages, or with whom we often have misunderstandings.

References

Roger Fisher, Elizabeth Kopelman, and Andrea Kupfer Schneider, Beyond Machiavelli: Tools for Coping With Conflict (Penguin Books, 1996), chapter 3