Thinking in Client

When I was a kid, the best puzzle magazine in the world was Jeux et Strategie. It was in French, and I learnt French by reading it. I found that, in the right context, I think in French – and I noticed this only after several years of (occasionally) thinking in French. Now I'm an adult, my ability with languages is pretty poor, by European standards. I have bad Bulgarian and awful French. I get the two muddled if I'm out of context.

I can, however, think in client. When I'm consulting, local terminology takes priority. Every client – sometimes every team – has different meanings for end to end testing, for quality, for every element of independent verification and validation. I'll always ask, and I'll often be surprised.

Thinking in client has led to more productive conversations, and to longer relationships. It makes it easier for me to engage without having my buttons pushed, and it makes it easier to switch. When people use words that have a local meaning, I can feel my mind substituting.

I imagine that I'm not alone. I imagine that our ability to switch phrasing and jargon evolved as our species' languages developed in family and local groups, and when humans moved from group to group, those with such abilities had greater representation in the DNA of the next generation: they were better at chatting up. If you're moving from group to group as a consultant, it's good to be good at this. I reckon that I can choose to use it, and I can develop it, because I recognise it as a facility. So here's your starting point if this seems useful:

If you're consulting with a client, think in client.

More below for subscribers: how to build the ability; how it works for me online, in person, and when facilitating; what it means when approaching writing / speaking.