Use Your Difference to Make a Difference

21Communicating Like an Architect

In the big picture, architecture is the art and science of creating the framework of our lives. The buildings that we build are either open possibilities or they hinder encounters or connections.

—Bjarke Ingels

Have you ever looked at a skyscraper and wondered what it takes to build such an infrastructure? What about stadiums, churches, and schools? Maybe it is just me, but I often wonder what it takes to bring these buildings to completion. The communication structure that must be in place is complex, varied, and adaptable. It involves the efficient and effective transfer of information, which is what communication is all about. In essence, architects are the perfect example of how to fill the intent-impact gap discussed earlier because whatever is conceptualized in the design stage has to resemble the end product or be very close to it. I enjoy observing architects and studying buildings because throughout human history, our evolution from living in the wild to living in buildings of some sort is a metaphor for what possibilities exist for us when we work together and what barriers we can put up if we don't listen to each other. We can design a world interlocked with connections or one full of barriers.

Architect as a Metaphor for Communication

I am going to describe how an architect brings a project to life and illustrate what we can learn about communication from it. My goal is to use this metaphor to show you how to open up more dialogue. ...