Indirection Indirection Indirection basically refers to saying one thing and meaning another.
Most messages communicate multiple messages simultaneously.
For example, there maybe a surface message, and an underlying message. The norm among women is to avoid signaling status differences. So men are less likely to use mitigation at the office, or to use it only with female subordinates. However, certain kinds of indirection are a prerogative of power. Men tend to be direct in public talk, and more indirect in private talk.