Communicating Intent vs. Commitment

Communicating Intent vs. Commitment

The words you use shape what people expect. Learning to distinguish intent from commitment reduces painful surprises.

The Language Problem

Consider these statements:

- "We're planning to launch in Q2"

- "We will launch in Q2"

- "Q2 is the target"

- "The roadmap shows Q2"

To the speaker, these might feel different. To listeners, they often sound like the same promise.

Intent vs. Commitment

Intent is your current direction: "This is what we're trying to do, given what we know now."

Commitment is a promise: "This will happen; you can depend on it."

The difference matters enormously:

- Changing intent is natural; changing commitment breaks trust

- Intent can be conditional; commitment should be reliable

- Intent invites conversation; commitment closes it

Why We Blur the Distinction

We blur intent and commitment because:

- Commitment sounds more confident

- Stating conditions feels like making excuses

- Stakeholders want certainty, so we provide it

- We're not sure ourselves, so we're imprecise

The Consequences of Blurring

When intent sounds like commitment:

- Stakeholders plan as if it's certain

- Sales makes promises to customers

- Adjacent teams build dependencies

- When things change: "But you said..."

The flexibility you thought you had turns out to have been spent.

Speaking Distinctly

Practice clear language:

Intent language:

- "We're currently planning..."

- "Our direction is..."

- "We're working toward..."

- "Assuming things go well..."

Commitment language:

- "We will..."

- "You can count on..."

- "We're committed to..."

- "This is firm..."

And the explicit transition:

- "We're not ready to commit to this yet"

- "This is shifting from exploration to commitment"

- "I'm comfortable making this a firm date now"

Teaching Others the Difference

Your stakeholders may not naturally distinguish intent from commitment. You can help by:

- Being explicit: "I want to flag this as intent, not commitment"

- Providing context: "Here's what would have to be true for this to become a commitment"

- Updating visibly: "This is moving from exploration to committed"

- Tracking your accuracy: Show that your commitments are reliable

Over time, people learn what your words mean.