This is an obscure quote on which to base a post. Yet, it is the second book this year I have read about metaphor and how we use metaphors to think and communicate.

This second quote better captures what I want to say today on metaphors.

I rarely write notes about the highlights I make in a book – I am trying to get better at it – but I did for this one.

This seems like a key feature of facilitating a conversation. The type of thing I would do at work. Searching for the metaphor, or mental model, that a person is using. This is what I may be listening for. Then trying to play that back to them, and find coherence around the table.

When listening to an explanation, try to identify the metaphors they are use. Then consider why they chose that metaphor.

Be aware that often one metaphor cannot completely cover a topic, and we may need to use a second or third.

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The Books