Something can be considered ambiguous when it has an answer or solution but takes time to figure it out. It is not *immediately* obvious.

Ambiguous can also mean that something doesn't have a clear-cut answer. That options are largely equal in pluses and minuses.

When you present, influence, persuade, sell, manage, tell your kids what to do (all pretty much the same thing) there is one thing you best never do: leave something or anything ambiguous.

"You can see the benefits of having the Toro LGX 47."
Inside my mind: "Huh? Um...the benefits, man what is he talking about? The speed or the ..."

"You know...I'll just pass."

I originally was taught that it was often a good idea to use ambiguity when persuading others so that the other person would use their own imagination to construct internal representations about what they want in their own future.
The concept never resonated with me...thank goodness.

If you leave people without information that is necessary for them to make a positive decision, you must make certain that every element that your client needs answered is answered. The more ambiguous information in your proposal, the longer it takes them to decide. The longer it takes them to decide, the less likely they are to say, "yes."... in other words, the more likely the other person is to say no.

Ambiguity shuts down logical thinking and causes people to literally re-act. It causes them to do things that make no sense. It loses sales. Let me explain by first giving a couple of examples from research then show you specifically what TO do.

Imagine there is a bucket of balls. 30 balls are black. 60 balls are yellow OR white (one color).

You win $100 if you guess the correct color of the first ball out of the bucket.

What would the average person do?

If you said black you are right on the nose. From a strictly mathematical point of view it makes no difference what you do. You've got a 50/50 chance of winning $100 if you say black then pick a ball. If you guess yellow or white, you have a 50/50 chance of guessing the other color but have twice as many balls. So half the people should choose black and half the people should pick yellow or white, but that isn't what happens. The vast majority of people choose black...but that shouldn't be how it is in the real world...it just is! You need to know how their mind is reacting in advance so you can carefully prepare your message!

That's not the case, though. Most people choose black because the other option is ambiguous.

Here's an even more interesting proposition.

A bucket is packed with the same exact amount of black and red balls. Which color would you choose?

Write your answer down then move on...