I will hazard a guess that we have all been bewildered or unclear in our minds about something, at some point in our lives if not on many occasions.

Confusion largely results from inadequate communication and unclear objectives and is particularly prominent when the circumstances are complex.

Too Many Cooks

A very common aspect of confusing situations is a multitude of stakeholders, each of whom purports to have a full understanding of the situation.

Feeding the confusion is these multiple explanations offered to add clarity are often perceived to be different or even in some cases are actually different.

Keep it Simple

Avoiding confusion always begins with simplicity.  Clearing away the misunderstood begins by reducing the situation to the fewest components.

To ensue clarity and focus explanations need to be single threaded, that is provided by a single designated knowledge expert.  Using a single point of reference without exception is key to avoiding honest misunderstandings.

Start with the End

When explaining a process or providing how-to instructions the comprehension of others begins with understanding the end result.  It seems to make sense to describe the journey and reveal the outcome at the end.

Perhaps strangely so, this is not the case.  My psychology studies have demonstrated humans achieve understanding much more quickly when they know what the goal is upfront.

Eliminating confusion is a combination of limiting the number of stakeholders involved with explanations coupled with providing clarity of outcome, what does done look like, right from the beginning.