Straight Talk: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say
- Jaclyn Baker
- Apr 24
- 1 min read
As part of our process designing visual expressions for our six core commitments, we explored aligning each value with an ancient I Ching hexagram as a way to define and shape our ethos. In this series, we will explore each alignment in greater depth—focusing today on our commitment to Straight Talk.
Straight Talk: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say 🕊 (Hexagram 61 – Zhōng Fú 中孚)
Hexagram 61—Inner Truth—sits right in the middle of the I Ching. It’s made of wind moving over a lake: penetrating above, reflecting below. It’s a hexagram about sincerity, clarity, and the kind of honesty that doesn’t waver depending on who’s in the room.
At Odnos, this is the energy behind our commitment to Straight Talk. For us, clarity isn’t about being blunt—it’s about creating real understanding. That means no jargon, no hiding behind half-formed language, and no pretending to know when we don’t.
It also means knowing when to slow down and get to the core of what needs to be said. If it can’t be said clearly, it probably needs more truth.
This animation draws the lines of the hexagram one by one—a small act of unfolding clarity. Just like the conversations we try to have. Honest. Simple. Built on trust.
That’s where real progress begins.
