The Six and Sixty Rule
One afternoon I was speaking to my eleven-year-old daughter Ellie about the mushroom farm. I was explaining part of the mushroom growing process, and she nodded in agreement, but clearly, she did not understand what I was sharing. I looked at my wife for guidance, and she mouthed to me, “keep it simple.” So, I back-peddled a bit and tried to explain the concept in more simple terms. I’m afraid I was unsuccessful.
The following week, I attended a Vistage Executive Summit in Salt Lake City. One of the speakers presented an idea that we should use The Six and Sixty Rule in our communication. Six and sixty means keeping your communication simple enough for a six-year-old to understand and valuable enough for a sixty-year-old. As he shared this teaching with the group, I immediately thought about my conversation with Ellie. Unfortunately, that conversation ended without understanding or usefulness.
Language Challenges
The workforce at the mushroom farm is about 70% Hispanic, with Spanish being the primary and only language spoken. I, unfortunately, don’t speak or write Spanish. Therefore, I must have a translator for most of my communication with my Spanish-speaking employees. My translators often have difficulty sharing my thoughts because of my habit of speaking and writing in a more technical form.
Using the Six and Sixty rule has helped me in my communication with my employees. For the past several months, I have written a weekly newsletter. It has been a learning process to see which parts of the bulletin the employees read and understand. By using the rule, I’ve focused on simplifying the message without diluting the benefit to the readers. It’s an ongoing challenge to share technical information with our employees, but the advantages of using this rule make it worth continuing the practice.
I hope this post has been easy to understand and valuable for all readers, regardless of age. Happy communication!