Shared Meaning To understand each other's perspectives well enough to accept them

Ownership, Not Buy-in

Culture

What is shared meaning? The phrase is bandied about a lot but little understood and rarely defined. Let’s take a look at it. 

What is meant by meaning?

What about shared meaning?

There are two dimensions to the concept of shared meaning.

We use the same language

We take for granted that our words convey exactly what we intend them to. This is a particularly misinformed assumption.

I have observed that upon deeper scrutiny, the words, let alone the concepts, tend not to be received in the way the messenger anticipates. …

How can we discuss or argue the virtues of something when we are speaking differing languages? …

Language only represents thoughts, beliefs and experiences, and should not be taken as a literal and objective fact.

Credit: Mel Schwartz

Whenever we have a conversation with someone, we express opinions and perspectives on the world and use many words, phrases, idioms, and metaphors that have unclear or ambiguous meanings.

The interpretation of many of these words and phrases is also contextually dependent.

Moreover, in a multicultural world where we are talking across cultures and often in English where English is not the native tongue of all speakers, it is not too surprising that we fail to communicate.

So first, shared meaning is about the words and the concepts themselves.

Shared meaning means that the words we use mean the same to each of us or that we understand how each of us uses words differently and take that into account in our conversations. At a deeper level, it means that we understand the different values, beliefs, and emotions that we each give to and associate with words.

It also means that we have a similar understanding of the concepts we talk about.

We understand each other’s perspectives

The second dimension goes deeper. To achieve shared meaning, we do not have to agree with each other as long as we have understood each other’s views on an issue.

Shared meaning does not mean that everyone in the conversation sees things in the same way.

Shared meaning means each stakeholder in the conversation shares what is meaningful to them as it pertains to creating the desired future those in the conversation are seeking to create.

Shared meaning occurs when people understand each other’s perspectives well enough to accept them as legitimate in the context of exploring and realizing a desired future.

Credit: Ken Homer

Shared meaning does not mean that people agree but that they understand each other’s perspectives well enough to accept them. There is only one way of achieving this, and that’s through real conversation. 

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Resources

• Blog Post: Shared Meaning by Mel Schwartz
• Blog Post: Creating understanding – finding shared meaning by Ken Homer

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