After the Baton Rouge shooting a police officer responded to the situation with:
"Were not sure of anything right now. All we do know is..."
Wonderful!
How many times have you heard somebody trying to be smart by trying to come up with an explanation on the spot?
Even when there is information to base a conclusion on it is important to acknowledge when you have too little information to come to a conclusion. Guessing what something could be in such situation can create confusion that can escalate faster than we can comprehend.
Clarity in communication is essential in dangerous and risky situations.
It is also very important when emotions are getting stirred up in a group.
Stating that you don't have all the information does not make you dumb,
the best scientist will answer: "I don't know." in a Q&A when they don't know the answer.
It's a sign of greatness.
Recognizing the boundaries of our knowledge makes us more alert and critical of how we come to know things, how we learn and how we process information.
Once we know what it is we don't understand or know yet we can begin to learn.
Until we have recognized what it is we don't know enough of we can't see with clear eyes, we can't learn.
Another great way of creating clarity is sticking to the facts without coming to a conclusion.
Many people think that a person who doesn't come up with conclusions on the spot is indecisive or even maybe dumb; Maybe this happened to you too.
In fact, people who are slower to come to conclusions often are more critical and understand that not everything is like it seems at first sight. They will often look for underlying reasons and systems that could change what appears to be. They will often be more careful when making a decision and care about the sustainability of a change they want to make instead of going for the first thing that pops in their head.
That does not mean that this is a better strategy all the time. There are times when it is better to just go for "good enough".
In the case of the police responding on the Baton Rouge shooting, the answer of the policemen was exactly what was needed.
Well done.
