Making Sense of Sense-Making

Brenda Dervin's theory of communication compares information to bricks that people are expected to simply receive and understand. Lack of understanding, failures in communication, are traditionally blamed on those on the receiving end. Either they can’t retain the information or refuse to receive it in the first place. The Sense-Making methodology challenges this system calling on the senders of information to shift focus to the perspective of the end user; “Ask me about my world on my terms” (Ewuviedo, 2011).

In a talk at Eastern Washington University Brenda Dervin dispenses with the stereotype approach to communication saying that, “no person is the average of their culture,” and behavior can only be predicted “when that behavior is constrained by the system” (Ewuviedo, 2011). "Dervin’s model also “acknowledges that social power structures, such as systems of expertise, decide whose understandings and observations get preference.” (Agarwal, 2013). If instead we engage users and allow them to define the terminology we can speak their language enabling more effective communication. 

Sense-Making is a relatively simple idea but its presentation is often elaborate. Chaos, Order, and Sense-Making: A Proposed Theory for Information Design as presented in chapter 3 of Robert Jacobson's Information Design in particular is inundated with examples of polarity (chaos and order, making and unmaking, etc.) and references to the numbers of eight narratives. Seven of which are listed together with the eighth added mid-paragraph several pages later. Referencing the narratives by number might make sense to an author well versed in them but for a student introduction it can be a confusing shorthand.

Even Dervin's simple looking drawing of the idea is submerged in textual information. We see Mr. Squiggly, representative of a person in flux, surrounded by circumstance, challenges, and opportunities. Between Mr. Squiggly and his outcome, the goal of the communication, is a gap. To cross the gap a bridge(s) must be built.

Brenda Dervin's Sense-Making metaphor

In the blog environment Sense-Making could be implemented by researching and engaging with the intended audience, familiarizing yourself with their experience with the topic, and identifying words they would use to discuss it. Having this information helps to illuminate potential obstacles to the communication and in using their own language we can bridge those gaps as we guide the reader to the intended outcome.

Initially I was very drawn to Sense-Making. It seemed an intuitive approach to communication but I quickly got lost in the details. Reading all the discussion posts on it inspired me to give it another try. After much research outside of the text I now have a broad understanding but still don't fully grasp concepts like verbing nouns. Overall, Sense-Making seems to be a well considered methodology for more effective communication that is ironically often poorly communicated.

Resources

Agarwal, N. K. (2013, January 06). Making sense of sense-making: Tracing the history and development of Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from http://slis.simmons.edu/blogs/naresh/files/2013/01/Agarwal-ASIST-History-preconf-2012-author-formatted-6Jan2013.pdf

Ewuvideo. (2011, March 01). Eastern Spotlight: Brenda Dervin. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foyH6eoIseQ&t=1s
Gaston, Nicole Marie. (2015). Spirituality and everyday information behaviour in a non-Western context: Sense-making in Buddhist Laos. Information Research. 20. Retrieved February 17, 2017, from  https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Dervins-sense-making-metaphor-Dervin-2008-p-17_fig1_280684306 

Jacobson, R. (1999). Information Design. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Jones, P. H. (2015, April 06). Sensemaking Methodology: A Liberation Theory of Communicative Agency. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from https://www.epicpeople.org/sensemaking-methodology/

McNamara, L. A. (2015, March 24). Sensemaking in Organizations: Reflections on Karl Weick and Social Theory. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from https://www.epicpeople.org/sensemaking-in-organizations/ 

Palmer, V. (2014, April 14). Information-Seeking Models. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from https://vickipalmer.wordpress.com/knowledge/information-seeking/