Whether we like or not, everyone is in the habit of filling in the information gap. For example, you make an announcement that says we’re having a meeting tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in my office. That announcement seems clear, but there are lots of gaps that people begin to fill in. What is it about? How long will it go? Do I need anything in order to be prepared? Is it optional? It is impossible to fill in every gap for every person. Every manager should get a feel for how their folks fill in the gaps. Typical ways of filling in the gaps include the following:

▪ Assuming the worst: “Oh, no. We’re having a meeting at 9:00 a.m. sharp . . . I wonder who is going to get fired?”
▪ Overly optimistic: “Hey, we’ve got a meeting at 9:00 a.m. I’m sure our manager just wants to let us know how well things are going. I can’t imagine the meeting lasting for more than 10 minutes. I’ll schedule my next appointment for 9:15 a.m.
▪ Endless options: Because gaps can be fun to wonder about, this person spends the next 24 hours listing all the possibilities of what the meeting is about. This is how rumors are started and can even be a platform for gossip.
▪ Gap creators: There are several ways to create gaps—two unrelated events are tied together, motives are questioned or assigned, or asking others questions to which they don’t have answers.

How should we deal with the gaps that are inevitable? Two simple things: trust and patience.