Discerning Intent: QMN034
Martial Mental Models: The Quartermaster, Tuesday, 11 June
(Today’s report is a 4 minute read)
BLUF: Communicating and discerning intent effectively is key to military operations. But intent isn't always as clear as the best orders make it. What people say is often less important than the reasons they’re saying it. Today we’re going to take a quick look at unpacking the intent behind interpersonal language: the six reasons why people say anything to other people.
KSA here. In any meaningful exchange involving language, there are three components that we consider – whether consciously or not – in order for us to understand and assess the value of the exchange: 1) What we are being told 2) What we are not being told and 3) Why we are being told what we are being told.
You might be thinking, “what about the veracity of what we’re being told? Where does truth come into play?” For our purposes, it’s a secondary concern. I argue that it’s more important to know the intent behind someone telling you something than whether or not they’re telling you the truth. It is also slightly easier to figure out – especially under duress – because there are really only six reasons anyone ever says anything to someone else. Those six reasons are:
To give information.
To get information.
To make someone feel good.
To make someone feel bad.
To get someone to do something.
To prevent someone from doing something.
Although those six reasons may be combined (e.g., to give information that will get someone to do something), with a little considered analysis, speaker intent can be traced to one of those six reasons. When the reason seems ambiguous – when it’s small talk or unsolicited information, for example – it’s often because the speaker is trying to get you to do something: to trust them, to allow them to build rapport. This, in turn, is a step towards another reason: perhaps to get information (in the form of a confession, admission, disclosure, etc) or perhaps to get you to do something else (rob a bank, sign a petition, lend them $20.00). The emotional reasons – #3 and #4 on our list – are equally loaded with intent. They can be leveraged for information or action. Sometimes the action sought is a simple expression of reciprocation (“I miss you” can be a way of soliciting “I miss you too”), but sometimes it can be far more detrimental: the teary promises to change by the perpetually penitent are actually tools of manipulation: ways to avoid consequences.
Analyzing the intent behind a statement or a question can help you discern whether or not the person you’re speaking with is trustworthy. I’ll be candid: my intent here is to give you information that you put into practice and that you will find valuable enough to share with others. We’ll examine other aspects of how language are positioned to shape behavior in coming editions of The Quartermaster.
HOMEGROWN DEEPFAKES: YouTube Ctrl Shift Face Creates Scarily Compelling Deepfakes
We’ll just let you take a look at this for yourself. (KSA)
SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE: Give Up on Work-Life Balance (5 min) “Busy workers have been trying and failing at these types of hacks for decades. This fruitless cycle suggests that work-life balance is not independently achievable for most overworked people, if not outright impossible. Balancing work and life “is such an act of subversion, of resistance, that it’s really difficult for individuals to do,” Schulte said. “The fear is you’ll be overlooked by your overworking bosses and seen as a threat by everyone else.” (BJM)
WHO SAYS I CANT EAT MORE THAN 4000 CALORIES?: Scientists seek out limit to human endurance (2 min) “The limit to human endurance is measured in multiples of something called basal metabolism, which is the minimum energy, counted in calories, that is expended by the body to keep itself going for one minute. And the limit to human endurance is about 2.5 times this basal metabolism, says the team, led by Herman Pontzer, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University.” (BJM)
QM POST REVIEW - Green Beret Team Practices
Two things that Special Forces Operational Detachments-Alpha do that define them are constant crosstraining between specialties and rehearsals. The crosstraining not only shares skills, but makes SMEs more capable on the team, and provides leaders with perspective when planning operations. Rehearsals are Green Berets’ link between planning and execution - rehearsals allow teams to visualize the operation at hand and identify things that need to be clarified or modified in the plan. If ‘we are what we repeatedly do’ then these group activities make the team more flexible, resilient and mindful about their operations. (BJM)
Remarks Complete. Nothing Follows.
KS Anthony (KSA), Chris Papasadero (CPP) & Brady Moore (BJM)