Dave, something that may contribute to the question asking question.
When I do communication work with youth gangs and others not so
sophisticated as managers - and sometimes with managers as well - I
spend some time on the distinction of "What's in here" and "What's
out there". This leads to whatever is "in here" is not known to
anyone else unless I tell them. And the same is true for every
other.
This is to lead away from "mindreading". It is also to have the
participants realise that they give many hints to the rest of the
world about how to communicate to them, how to answer their
questions, how to assist them in understanding.
Yes, being able to make at least some of this explicit is useful and
worth the effort. It might be done quite simply (elegantly?) by
simply saying "I can't see that clearly yet, can you help fill in the
picture?" - or some such.
-- Michael McMaster Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk