I don’t know.

Three words cause a world of problems. “I don’t know.” The reluctancy to say this during interviews, public speeches, presentations, or any human interaction has caused untold hardships and confusion.

The words aren’t complicated. To say them only takes one — to — two seconds. Then why the struggle?

It is what they represent: a belief that saying “I don’t know” represents an unforgivable shortcoming. And this belief is formed early in our lives.

Children are, by nature, curious. They ask a million questions about a million things. The people they ask, parents, teachers, coaches, etc., often won’t have the answer. But, by being an authority figure, these people take on the persona of wise and all-knowing. Eventually, the lie is revealed, but only after the child has learned it is better to lie than to admit a gap in their knowledge.

But why am I telling you this?

We are often presented with “I don’t know” moments in marketing or education. And often, we lie. We lie because we don’t want to admit to our class, client or customer that we can’t answer their question, address a shortcoming or explain why something did or didn’t work.

We fail to realize that saying “I don’t know” can have tremendous power. It builds connection and understanding and creates a space of compassion and forgiveness.