Miscommunication is a common problem in human interaction; tragically, sometimes even the Gospel is misunderstood. The root cause of most interpersonal misunderstandings is not failure to hear words that are said but differences in the cognitive environments of the speaker and hearer. Their cognitive environments are made up of their language, culture, personal histories, and their evaluation of the immediate situation between speaker and hearer. How this happens is made clear through an example of miscommunication between two people with broadly the same background. The problem is ubiquitous; without exception, every conversation depends on an adequate match between the cognitive environments of speakers and hearers. The problem can be overcome by a combination of learning about the cognitive environment of the hearer before a conversation, two-way communication, and thoughtful listening to the hearer’s responses. It also requires building on common human experiences. Because the process of learning from stories is built on common human experiences, stories are a significant way to overcome the problem of the iron law of communication.
Watch the related webinar presentation.
Wayne Dye is an emeritus Scripture engagement professor at Dallas International University. He has been an SIL international consultant for 50 years. Wayne has had spiritual conversations with people in over a hundred ethnic groups on five continents. He and his wife, Sally, pioneered the subdomain of missiology now called Scripture Engagement. Wayne has an MA in anthropology from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Wayne’s papers have had an impact on methods for world evangelism.
Leave a Reply