Egocentric Anchoring in Communication
People often miscommunicate because they egocentrically anchor on their own knowledge and insufficiently adjust to others' perspectives, especially when cognitively busy.
THE IDEA
Egocentric Anchoring in Communication
Reasons for miscommunication are many, ranging from random error to the systematic operation of motivational and cognitive processes. Nickerson (1999) demonstrates how miscommunication can result from people's mistaken assessment of what others know and their tendency to overimpute their own knowledge to others. We have shown that even when language users are well informed about what others know, they still anchor egocentrically when taking the other's perspective. In the studies described here, accounting for a different perspective requires effortful, time-consuming adjustment. When people are overly busy and cognitively occupied, they might not be able to adjust sufficiently from the egocentric anchor.
When to use it
During a business presentation, avoid assuming all listeners have the same background; provide brief explanations.
When writing instructions for a diverse audience, test the clarity by having someone from a different domain review them.
In a team meeting, pause to ask if anyone needs clarification, especially when introducing new concepts.
When giving feedback, consider the recipient's perspective to avoid misunderstandings due to assumed shared knowledge.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Manager assuming jargon knowledge
A manager uses technical jargon in a meeting, assuming all team members understand it, leading to confusion and mistakes. The manager anchored on their own expertise and failed to adjust to the team's varying levels of knowledge.
Friend telling an inside joke
A friend tells a joke referencing a shared experience, but the listener wasn't present. The speaker egocentrically assumed the listener had the same context, causing awkwardness and misunderstanding.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a time you assumed others knew what you knew. How did that lead to miscommunication?
When you are busy, do you tend to explain less? How can you deliberately adjust from your own perspective?
What steps can you take in conversations to check whether your listener shares your understanding?
References
- How we know—and sometimes misjudge—what others know: Imputing one's own knowledge to others — Nickerson, R.S. (1999)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Heuristics and Biases The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment (Thomas Gilovich, Dale Griffin, Daniel Kahneman)