Episode 20 of the WHySE Creatures Stories
This post first appeared on LinkedIn on 6 August 2026.
“Communication breakdown …”
Dog turned the volume down.
Led Zeppelin was still playing in the background.
Dog got stuck on the word “Communication”.
He thought of project meetings where there was a lot of talking.
And little listening.
Everyone had something to contribute.
Everyone wanted to make progress.
And yet, at some point, they lost their way.
In the end, nobody knew exactly:
What exactly is the next step now?
How could this have happened?
Dog knew: communication starts with oneself.
To paraphrase Konrad Lorenz:
“Thought is not said.”
And even if something was said, that doesn’t mean it was heard.
Or understood.
Dog remembered a project meeting where it did work out after all.
Not through the loudest voice.
Not through the longest slide.
But through something much simpler:
Active listening.
Targeted questions.
And the willingness to revisit a concept.
“What do you mean by ‘feasible’?”
“What decision do you need to make right now?”
“Have I understood you correctly?”
“What steps are we taking next?”
“Who’s doing what, with whom, and by when?”
Questions like these are quiet.
And often very effective.
Because they turn different ways of speaking into a shared understanding.
Listen.
Sort through.
Translate.
Summarise together.
Decide.
So that a communication breakdown can once again become a shared path.