Make It Work Glossary
Here I’m collecting terms and definitions that I formulate in my articles. The looseness of the explanations can vary, but it’s a great way to start my own thinking.
This is basically how I’m mapping out my expertise and reflecting on what I do and what I write about.
A
Alignment
“All elements (knowledge production itself, the content derived from it for different audiences, formats, events, tools, and more) are aligned around a shared strategic focus.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
Application (stage of the knowledge lifecycle)
“Then the application stage - when knowledge enters decisions, processes, projects, and actions.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
Application Platforms
“Platforms that turn knowledge into tools, embed it into workflows, and directly influence decisions. They operate primarily in the Application phase.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
B
Barrier-friction
“Barrier-friction: any friction, complexity (technical, cognitive, emotional, any kind) that prevents someone from entering, engaging, participating.”
Read more: If It Costs Nothing, It Means Nothing
Biases of experience
“’isotopes’ of bias - stable residues of experience, feedback, and professional frameworks that over time settle into the way we think and operate.”
Read more: How Knowledge Systems Self-Seal
Branding (of Knowledge)
“Any new knowledge (research results, expertise, etc.) is a product that should have its own target audience, value proposition, and language — including visual language.”
Read more: From Dumbledore to Gandalf: First Steps in Understanding What Makes Knowledge Work
C
Chatham House Rule
“what’s said in the room can be shared, but not attributed to anyone. Frees up both speakers and the audience. People say things they wouldn’t say on the record.”
Read more: Add Some Public to Your Discussion
Closed stakeholder loops
“our decisions, interpretations, and even the agenda itself are shaped within a relatively small circle of actors: funders, policy-makers, leading experts, institutions, and boards. They are the ones who define the questions, validate the answers, and translate results into decisions.”
Read more: How Knowledge Systems Self-Seal
D
Delivery (stage of the knowledge lifecycle)
“From there, it moves into delivery, where it is structured and distributed through appropriate channels, formats, and moments of use.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
Differentiation
“Knowledge is not delivered as a single stream, but translated and structured for different audiences. Different entry points, formats, and infrastructure elements are designed for different groups (professionals, institutions, policymakers, and broader publics).”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
E
Engagement (stage of the knowledge lifecycle)
“Engagement follows, as people interact with it: recognizing its relevance, connecting it to their own reality, and understanding what it might change.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
Engagement and Feedback Platforms
“Platforms that create interaction, enable participation, and generate feedback. These are ecosystems where the audience is no longer just a recipient of knowledge, but becomes a contributor through discussion, problem-solving, and distributed input.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
Erätauko / Time out dialogue
“a Finnish dialogue method built on a simple but radical premise: the goal is not agreement, it’s understanding. Participants speak in turn, without interrupting or trying to convince each other. There’s no debate, no winning.”
Read more: Add Some Public to Your Discussion
Explaining
“There’s a difference between simplifying and explaining. If simplifying removes complexity, explaining makes it accessible.”
Read more: Our Audience Can Handle Complexity
F
Feedback (stage of the knowledge lifecycle)
“Then feedback stage - as a complex return of experience: what individuals tried and struggled with, how institutions used (or failed to use) the knowledge, what constraints made application difficult, how ideas were adapted or reinterpreted, where they failed, and what unexpected effects appeared.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
I
Integration
“Infrastructure and the rest of the ecosystem are not separate layers. Content, engagement, tools, and applications are connected, creating a continuous environment rather than a set of isolated outputs.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
K
Knowledge Broker
“the communications professional acts as a knowledge broker. Their job is to package, reframe, adapt, and redesign knowledge and expertise — and then deliver it to the right audiences.”
Knowledge Deficit Model
“The idea that people are skeptical of science, expertise, and new knowledge simply because they don’t know enough.”
Read more: Our Audience Can Handle Complexity
Knowledge Interface
“knowledge becomes a resource only when there is a way to interact with it — delivery, engagement, access. Knowledge that has no interface and no proactive infrastructure around it exists. But it doesn’t do anything. Not in any broad philosophical sense, and not in any practical one.”
Read more: The Inaccessibility Apocalypse: Why Knowledge Needs an Interface
Knowledge Production Platforms
“Platforms that accelerate the production of knowledge and make it accessible within professional communities, effectively covering the Production phase and partially the Feedback phase.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
M
Moderation
“Moderation is a function; its job is to create conditions that allow different people to speak. A good moderator ensures participation, enforces the rules of engagement, limits those who dominate, and keeps everyone in the room feeling safe.”
Read more: Add Some Public to Your Discussion
O
Overfitting
“In machine learning, overfitting describes a situation when a forecaster tries to make their prediction model (or hypothesis) perfectly match past data (Philip Tetlock), and it becomes less useful for understanding the future.”
Read more: How Knowledge Systems Self-Seal
P
Participation-friction
“Participation-friction is the act of participation itself... the moment when a person puts something of their own in: stands up and speaks, formulates a thought, decides to approach someone, decides to push back (and summons a little courage).”
Read more: If It Costs Nothing, It Means Nothing
Path dependency
“dependence on the past. Past research, the expertise we’ve applied, and the solutions that once worked all shape the models we use today.”
Read more: How Knowledge Systems Self-Seal
Platform
“A platform is an operational system that carries knowledge through its full lifecycle — from production to translation, delivery and engagement, to application, feedback, and continuous renewal.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
Production (stage of the knowledge lifecycle)
“A lifecycle of knowledge begins with production — the creation of new knowledge (research, insights, and expertise).”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
R
Renewal (stage of the knowledge lifecycle)
“This feedback feeds into renewal — refining, expanding, or challenging the original knowledge and starting the cycle again.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
S
Simplifying
“If simplifying removes complexity, explaining makes it accessible.”
Read more: Our Audience Can Handle Complexity
Self-Sealing Expertise Production
“The process of producing new knowledge and expertise often seems to rest on a basic assumption: the producer of knowledge (the researcher, expert, consultant) already operates at a level above the surrounding reality... From the top of this ivory tower (some higher, some lower), we - consciously or not - tend to look at what’s in front of us from above and are often busy keeping outsiders away from both the process and its results.”
Read more: How Knowledge Systems Self-Seal
T
Translation (stage of the knowledge lifecycle)
“This knowledge is then translated: interpreted, broken down, reframed, and grounded in context and experience so that it becomes understandable and related for different audiences.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge
Translation Platforms
“Platforms that break down complexity, adapt knowledge for different audiences, and construct (or support the construction of) narratives. They operate primarily across the Translation and Delivery phases.”
Read more: Building Platforms for the Full Lifecycle of Knowledge