Communicate Unknowns

Learning goal

• Name what you do not know.
• Say when you will know it (or how you will find out).
• Reduce anxiety by making unknowns explicit.

Who

• Students, parents, and educators.

What

• Communicating unknowns in leadership and professional settings.

Where

• In meetings, updates, and professional settings.

When

• During your next meeting or update.

Why it matters

• Hidden unknowns create anxiety.
• Naming unknowns builds trust.
• Leadership includes saying "I don't know yet." This helps to build trust and shows that you are willing to learn and grow.

How

• Name one thing you do not know yet and when or how you will find out.
• Say it out loud in your next meeting or update.

Guided exercise

1. Identify three unknowns in your current project or situation.
2. Write down when you will know them (or how you will find out).
3. Share your findings with a trusted colleague or mentor.

Independent exercise

• Reflect on a time when you communicated an unknown effectively.
• What did you say?
• How did you handle the situation?
• What was the outcome?

Self-check

• You can explain the key idea in one sentence.
• You have one concrete move to do today.

Bibliography (sources used)

• Link to source 1
• Link to source 2

Read more (optional)

• Link to more resources