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Hey there, innovation champions!
Imagine you’re in a room full of brilliant minds—data scientists, researchers, managers—all buzzing with groundbreaking ideas. The energy is electric. Innovation seems inevitable.
But then… nothing happens.
Sound familiar? Today we’re diving into one of the biggest innovation killers I see in tech teams: when brilliant ideas get lost in translation.
The Falcon That Never Landed
Let me start with one of my favorite activities to run with teams. It’s a simple game that reveals everything about how communication breaks down—and how it can make or break innovation.
“Falcon, go,” says person A, moving their arm to send an imaginary falcon across the circle to person B, who catches it with “Falcon, come,” before locking eyes with person C and sending it along with “Falcon, go.” The falcon flaps merrily around the circle.
Once that’s flowing, I add a Frisbee: “Frisbee!” I call out, miming a throw. The recipient catches it with a chill “Dude!” then passes it on. Soon we might have three or four objects zipping around simultaneously.
But inevitably, someone realizes the falcon has vanished. Or the Frisbee disappeared into thin air.
“What happened?” I always ask.
And that’s when the lightbulb moments begin.
The Real Innovation Killer
Here’s what that simple game reveals: when communication fails, even the most brilliant ideas—like our falcon—just disappear. And in tech environments, this happens constantly.
I’ve worked with data scientists at Uber, managers at Google, and high-level researchers at Meta. And I see the same communication breakdowns everywhere:
The Data Will Speak For Itself Trap: Teams believe their brilliant analysis should be self-evident. But data doesn’t convince people—stories and emotional connection do.
The Expertise Blindness Curse: When you’re deep in your domain, you forget that others don’t share your context. Your “obvious” insight becomes incomprehensible to cross-functional teammates.
The Academic Argument Instinct: Many brilliant people were trained to dig in their heels and defend their position. But in business, psychological safety and collaboration trump being right.
Let me share a real example from my work.
When Translation Saves Innovation
Laura, a researcher at Meta, was hitting a wall trying to explain a crucial insight to Kabir, a cross-functional teammate. Frustration was building. Innovation was grinding to a halt.
But then she remembered the “Time Traveler” activity from our workshop—where you explain a modern device to someone from 500 years ago. She realized Kabir wasn’t being difficult; he simply had different context.
So Laura thought about Kabir’s background in supply chain management and created an analogy comparing data flow to inventory management.
Suddenly, everything clicked. Communication flowed. They connected. Innovation accelerated.
The Create the Impossible™ Communication Framework
This connects directly to my Create the Impossible™ framework, because effective communication requires all three principles:
Play Hard: Laura got playful with her communication, trying new approaches instead of hammering the same failed explanation.
Make Crap: She gave herself permission to try imperfect analogies and rough explanations until something resonated.
Learn Fast: She quickly recognized when her approach wasn’t working and adapted, learning from each attempt.
When communication works, ideas don’t just survive—they multiply, evolve, and become breakthrough innovations.
The Three Translation Tools Every Innovator Needs
So how do you prevent your brilliant ideas from getting lost in translation? Here are three practical tools:
Find the Bridge: Like Laura did, identify what your audience already knows and build a bridge from their world to yours. Their context becomes your starting point.
Test for Understanding: Don’t just ask “Does that make sense?” Ask them to explain it back to you in their own words. If they can’t, your falcon hasn’t landed yet.
Validate the Person, Not Just the Idea: Even when you can’t implement someone’s suggestion, acknowledge its value. This keeps people engaged and contributing instead of shutting down.
Your Innovation Translation Challenge
Here’s your challenge this week: Pick one brilliant idea you’ve been struggling to communicate. Apply the translation framework:
- Play Hard: Get curious about your audience’s perspective
- Make Crap: Try three different ways to explain it, even if they feel imperfect
- Learn Fast: Test for understanding and adapt your approach
Because here’s the truth: Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It lives at the intersection of connection, communication, and creativity.
When we master the art of translation—helping brilliant ideas travel successfully from one mind to another—we don’t just prevent innovation from getting lost.
We accelerate it.
I’d love to hear from you: What’s the most creative analogy you’ve ever used to explain a technical concept? Click here to let me know!
Senior Leaders: Ready to prevent your team’s brilliant innovations from getting lost in translation? Book a complimentary Innovation Strategy Session and let’s explore how the Create the Impossible™ framework can transform your organization’s communication culture into an innovation accelerator.
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