Seeking Simple Answers to Complex Questions: A Common Trap
Or, Transfer of Responsibility, another excellent and easy communication technique
Here's a question I've once encountered in the context of data analytics:
"Should we de-duplicate data or retain all duplicates?"
My initial response was, "it depends," and I could see the familiar eye-roll from the customer, thinking, "Here we go again."
This is a perfect instance where a seemingly simple question demands a complex answer.In this specific case, the answer will be as follows:
The appropriate approach largely hinges on the task at hand.
For instance, imagine you're building a model predicting heart attacks based *solely* on a person's gender. Your database might be brimming with "duplicates" - entries sharing identical dependent and independent variables. Should you "de-duplicate" this data set? Not necessarily.
Conversely, let's say you're conducting a survey and notice that a respondent has participated multiple times, offering slightly differing responses. Should you eliminate these duplicates? Quite likely, especially if your sample size is modest.
So, what does this mean, and what should you keep in mind?
Brace yourself for a nuanced answer. Remember, straightforward questions don't always beget simplistic answers.
Better yet, ask a more complex question. Recall how communication guides emphasize open-ended questions over closed ones. A closed question often results in a closed response, typically geared towards risk aversion, while open questions foster dialogue. For instance, instead of asking, "Do you want our product?" and getting a possible "No!" in return, why not ask, "What are the biggest challenges you face in your work?"
In the context of data-related queries, reframe the question. Instead of asking, "should we deduplicate the data," propose, "we have numerous duplicate entries; what implications might this have for our analysis?" Rather than "Should we remove empty values from the database?", pose a question like "Our database has X% of empty values in field F and Y% of empty values in field G. What's your proposed strategy for handling them?" Framing complex questions delegates some of the responsibility to the other party, stimulating creative thinking and fostering productive discussions.
Your problem, not mine
Reread the last sentence of the previous section. Transferring responsibility from your shoulders to others' is a powerful communication technique. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for avoiding work. Not at all. Transferring responsibility is an engagement technique - a psychological hack that injects the right amount of adrenaline into your counterpart's bloodstream, rousing them from their comfortable state of indifference.
Transferring responsibility in a conversation is akin to what caffeine does for your morning alertness. It's helpful but requires cautious application.