It’s almost a knee jerk reaction after speaking to follow up your thought with, “does this make sense?” I don’t have a good answer as to why axioms like this catch fire, breed across our pages and fall from our lips like Pavlov’s dog…but this one needs to be retired! Or at least upgraded. Do you really want to know if you’re making sense? If so, I’m sure you can find a more sincere way to find out if you’re making sense to your audience. What are you really telling your listeners when you ask them if you make sense?

1.) Does this make sense (translation: I’m not confident in what I’m speaking about)

2. Does this make sense (translation: I am confident in what I’m speaking about and if you have any questions then you’re either a.) a jerk or b.) a total dummkopfe that you don’t understand what I’m talking about. Just nod your head.

3.) Does this make sense (translation: I am sincere in that I want to know if I’m communicating in a way that you grok; however, I can’t come up with a better way of saying this directly to you so I guess I’m not making sense.

4.) Does this make sense (translation: I really like to go along with the crowd and say many things by rote without thinking about what it is that I’m saying and this ending adds the veneer of being sincere about what I’m saying even though I haven’t really thought through what I’m telling you but want credit for doing it anyway.

By the way, I stand corrected if run across any of my past comments, articles, blogs or interviews on line and you hear or read “does this make sense!” After all, it takes one to know one.

(previously posted in LinkedIn Pulse)