Meeting Of The Minds
Categories: Marketing
The term “meeting of the minds” comes into play when we’re talking contracts and other legal agreements. When we say we’ve got a meeting of the minds, it's more than just saying, “We have an accord.” It’s saying, “We have an accord...and both parties totally understand what that accord is.” If we want to get fancy about it, we could also call it “consensus ad idem.”
Let’s say we’re trying to convince our friend Doug to come help us repair our fence that got damaged during a storm. We say that, if he helps us, we’ll give him two of our mules. He agrees right away, thinking we’re talking about real live animal mules. We’re surprised he agreed, considering we’re talking about the mules one wears on her feet (totes adorbs and so in right now).
This is what we do not call a meeting of the minds. We might have come to an agreement, but at least one of us is unclear on what the terms of that agreement are. Now if we call Doug back and make sure he knows we’re talking cute shoes and not cute live animals, and he still agrees to the deal, then we have a meeting of the minds.
