The Meanings We Make From The Information We Have
We do collect information, and others collect information as well.
Information doesn't "mean" anything, though, without...well... meaning.
Maybe particularly in Difficult Conversations does the meaning we make of information become criticial. Not only the meaning but how we make meaning from the facts.
Cognitive Biases might a strong way to say it - we make "shortcuts" to make meaning out of information.
We Make Shortcuts when Deriving Meaning From Information
Sometimes we "fill in the gaps" of the facts - we can't tell which "dots" are clear and which "dots" are missing, so we fill them in ourselves.
Sometimes we like what is familiar! We know the world through "stories", and when information feels relevant to stories that we already are comfortable with, we make meaning out of new information to be "connected to" familar stories.
Sometimes we assume that our experience, based on our space and time and surroundings, is the "full" reality. When new information enters, we can "write it off" as non-reality when the information doesn't match our experience.
We Make Meaning Differently
Sometimes several people see the same events and make different meaning of it. A bad tasting cup of home-roasted coffee could "mean" different things to different people
- this was "just" a bad batch - another batch of coffee will be better!
- this shows how terrible home-roasting is - too much time, energy and with this bad payout?! not worth it
- this is confusing - what is home-roasting anyway? why would this be done if it comes out badly?
- we need a new roaster
This happens with all of our favorite topics, too, like religion, politics, money, power, etc...
The information we gather and the meaning we make of it contribute to the actions we take as a result...