In business circles a common theme for dissemination or diffusion of a new concept or business requirement to a team is to just to repeat yourself frequently. In my company we call this the rule of seven. Meaning you have to repeat yourself seven times before a team will generally hear and understand what you are saying. This phrase has at it’s root a famous article from George Miller from Harvard University. The Magic Number Seven. The concept is basically centered around the idea that the human brain can only handle about seven items, plus or minus two. Now I have no idea how that became a need to repeat something seven times before they can remember, but here we are.
However, I had an epiphany today. I am trying to reduce the amount of time I spend repeating things, doing the same thing over and over again. This got me to thinking, perhaps this notion of repeating until things get through is just a wrong idea? Let me throw out my new concept. Perhaps you communicate the larger message once and then you create a metric that defines the success of the metric. This way you never have to repeat the message, you just keep indicating where the metric is at. Good, bad?
This can and does have an effect on people. I know it does with me. If I am going to see my name against a metric then I am naturally going to do something about it, it is human nature. So let me think this through on a smaller level. Lets say I want my kids to take the dogs out for a walk to relieve themselves twice a day. I explain to them why, the reasons behind it, why it is so critical for a dog to get regular exercise and to learn to wait until then to do their business. Now I know that my children are more than capable of understanding and remembering that concept after being told only once. So why then do I repeat, repeat, repeat? Hmm. That does not seem to work. It definitely is not a seven times thing, maybe 70×7? Maybe the metric thing would work instead! Number of times dog pee’d on the floor this week = X. I will write that in big bold letters on the a wall board. Then I will attach consequences to that metric. Perhaps, number of days without a pee incident! Like work place safety in a warehouse!
If I have a metric, then I do not need to repeat myself. Everyone will know how to fix the metric, they need to execute the plan they have already been told to do. The problem is not repetition, the problem is having a consistent measurable metric that you publish for all to see! This has so many implications in life and at work. I am going to start experimenting right away. I can think of some funny ones that will get me in trouble with my wife, so I am not going to go down that path – however, in thinking about my work life. How often do I really track a valuable metric and keep it consistent. Rather than repeating the message, hold to the metric!?
Just a thought on a strategy to reduce repetition in life!
Guy Reams
