re: Hearing (or seeing) what isn't there

[Sean Hower <hokumhome -at- freehomepage -dot- com>]

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John "the god" Posada asked:
So...how do you train yourself to not assume something without actually
knowing you are doing it?
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Wow, great question!!!

This is the exact question that I was forced to ask, and answer, when I was studying anthropology and carrying out ethnographic research.

The problem is assumptions.

Pinpointing the exact problem, ie assumptions, was easy in anthropology because the assumptions were our own cultural ideas about ourselves and about others. We were taught to question those assumptions. So, when the anthroplogist comes up to someone whering <insert article of clothing>, he/she/it/they doesn't automatically assume the person is <insert type of person> preparing to <insert behavior> right off the bat. The anthropologist takes the time to learn about and understand what they're seeing, making a very conscious effort to be aware of the influense the anthropologist's culture has on how they are interpreting what they are seeing. This was called the ethnographic lense and it implied not a perfectly objective view (because that's impossible), but as objective a view as possible given out inate _NEED_ to classify and categorize, and rely on those classifications to get us through the day.

The first step was to basically assume that we were assuming whenever we interpreted or judged something. Interpretations and judgements are based on our knowledge, which is a kind of assumption. The next step was to put that assumption aside and try to see the facts and not the interpretations we put on the facts. This often involved trying to figure out where our assumptions came from in the first place. It was hard at first, because we're just not aware of how much we assume during the course of the day. It gets easier the more you do it though.

So why am I going on about anthropology when this is a tech writing thread? Well, what we technical writers do is VERY similiar to what anthropologists do. We dig around for facts about something and try to construct an objective explanation of it. We interview, we research, we tinker. Anthropologists do the same. 



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"And in the morning, I'm makin waffles." ~ Donkey
Sean Hower - tech writer
http://hokum.freehomepage.com

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