"Unconscious visibility effect

How aware are we of what others know about us?

It is important to actively check the level of knowledge that others have of us and to correct any misunderstandings in order to foster personal and professional growth

3 April 2025

3' min read

In professional relationships it is essential to be aware of both what we communicate and what others know about us. Two dimensions that often do not coincide and even diverge significantly.

The Johari Window, named after its two creators, Joe Luft and Harry Ingham, is a psychological model that conceptualises the mechanisms of knowledge and self-knowledge of people and which, in the management field, is used to get to know oneself better and to develop communication qualities with one's work team. The model explains how individuals perceive themselves and are perceived by others through a matrix built on two axes: horizontally the degree of knowledge the individual has of himself, vertically the degree of knowledge others have of the individual. Four areas are generated from the intersection:

- the 'openness' area represents information known both to the subject and to others. This includes the most obvious data, such as name, profession, any friendships and family information, skills, interests or hobbies;

- the 'blindness' area contains information about the person known to others but not to the person himself;

- the 'private' area includes information that the person knows about himself but that others do not, such as his salary, possible failures, personal or health problems, fears and much more;

- the 'unknown' area represents information about the person that is unknown both to him/herself and to others, which can only be revealed by testing oneself with new experiences.

What others know about us but which escapes us

The most interesting quadrant is that of blindness, since it encompasses what others know about us but which escapes us and reveals how full awareness of one's 'I' can only develop through confrontation with the other. The only way to illuminate this blind area is through feedback: good questions such as "What idea do you have of me?" or "What do you think of my work?" can bring out surprising details and valuable insights for personal growth.

By not realising this blind area, a phenomenon occurs that I would call the 'unconscious visibility effect', according to which we tend to underestimate the degree of knowledge that others have about us. In other words, people possess up to ten times more information about us than we imagine. I have experienced the extent of this effect in several mediation jobs: by having a complete view of both parties, the mediator is able to clearly grasp what each person knows about the other.

In business, it is crucial to be aware of this effect. For example, it has repercussions on the personal brand, influencing the strategies adopted to promote oneself and one's reputation. Or it can be exploited strategically in the management of crucial encounters: on the one hand by becoming aware that one has more visibility than one thinks, on the other hand by refining one's ability to observe and interpret the other.

The more structured and accustomed a person is to operating in complex contexts, the greater his or her ability to elaborate accurate hypotheses about his or her interlocutors. This deep insight can be developed on several fronts: both during the interaction, through an analysis of non-verbal behaviour and active listening, and before the meeting through preliminary research.

This second search is now more accessible than ever, given the amount of information fed daily to the web via social profiles, blogs, websites and other digital platforms. The membrane separating the public from the private is increasingly blurred, making it extremely easy to find details about others. Moreover, we often do not have total control over our online image, or do not consider the time our interlocutor may have invested in gathering information about us. It is precisely this knowledge gap that falls into the area of blindness, that set of our elements that others know but which remains invisible to us.

And as the amount of this unconscious information about us increases, so does the likelihood that some of it is false or distorted: people are constantly making assumptions about others based on fragments of data and creating a sometimes distorted image.

That is why it is important to actively check the level of knowledge others have about us and the veracity of the information they have. By asking targeted questions, one can correct possible misunderstandings and gain valuable insights. Since it is not certain that the interlocutor will reveal everything he or she knows, it is also useful to turn to other partners who can give us an outside view of what others think of us. In any case, such verification operations will uncover something surprising that, sooner or later, will undoubtedly come in handy.

*Director Strategic Communication Academy.