Ladder Session 2
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This document discusses the "Ladder of Inference", which describes the unconscious mental process by which people draw conclusions and make assumptions without being aware of the cognitive steps involved. It notes that climbing the ladder happens rapidly in our heads and can lead us to misguided beliefs. The document advocates using awareness, advocacy, and inquiry skills to surface our own thinking and consider other perspectives in order to understand others and communicate effectively. It provides guidance on balancing advocacy, which shares one's perspective, with inquiry, which seeks to understand other views through questioning.
Ladder Session 2
- 1. LADDER of INFERENCE Climbing a Different Kind of Ladder 1 Presented by Sylvia Gaffney, Ph.D.
- 2. 23 ✓ Improve communica?on ✓ Reach agreement or advance resolu?on ✓ Arrive at new possibili?es ✓ Learn from another’s perspec?ve ✓ Allow for mul?ple voices ✓ Understand resistance to change ✓ Surface outdated assump?ons ✓ Understand the logic behind recommenda?ons Why the Ladder? ü Facilitate conflict solu?ons ü Improve team interac?on ü Open for diverse opinions ü Prevent overreac?on ü Understand your immediate response to a situa?on ü Uncover own & other biases ü Unearth reasoning & origin of your assump?ons ü Surface and test your thinking before you discuss a topic
- 3. Consider and Remember Two or more ladders in any conversa?on 3 ✦ Unconscious & Automa.c ✦ Auto Pilot ✦ Mental Models ✦ Different Interpreta.ons ✦ Jargon & Acronyms ✦ Emo.onally Charged Triggers
- 4. Make the Ladder Work Observe from a pool of all available Data Screen Data Take Ac?on Select Filtered Data Add Meaning Make Assump?ons, Draw Conclusions & Adopt Beliefs 4
- 5. 5 Intui?on and Experience Count ✦ Trust flashes of insight ✦ Rely on lessons learned ✦ Have knowledge & know-‐how ✦ Been around the block a few .mes In addi.on to walking down the ladder 23
- 6. Context MaVers Content = Actual words or behavior Context = Background for content Contextual clues needed for shared meanings ✦ The framework ✦ The environment ✦ The seLng ✦ Like the canvas for a pain.ng Consider the villagers response when the boy cried wolf! 6
- 7. Making the Ladder Work for Us Awareness Our natural tendency & comfort with default approach ✦ Self ✦ Others ✦ Situa.on Advocacy – clarifies my Ladder Inquiry – explores your Ladder 7
- 8. 8 Default Posi?on -‐ Advocacy or Inquiry Natural Tendency = Promote or Ques.on More Comfortable Either Or Both Can LEARN to be more Adept
- 9. Advocacy 9 ✦ Reveals your thinking ✦ Describes the data you’re operating from ✦ States your assumptions ✦ Inquires into other people’s reactions to your point of view ✦ Encourages others to provide different perspectives or question yours ✦ Helps you listen with an open mind Purpose of Advocacy
- 10. Inquiry 10 ✦ Expands current understanding ✦ Explores how another person views the world ✦ Advances genuine curiosity ✦ Encourages openness to another’s perspective ✦ Promotes Inquiry not Inquisition Purpose of Inquiry
- 11. Climb UP Advoca?ng Reveal your thinking and how you arrived at your conclusion Move up one rung at a .me allowing others to follow your thought process 11
- 12. Ques?ons to ask when Advoca?ng “What quesAons do you sAll have?” “Does it make sense to you?” “What am I missing?” 12
- 13. Advocacy RISK Vulnerability possibility – you’re out there 13
- 14. Walk DOWN Inquiring Find out data person is using 14
- 15. Ques?ons to ask when Inquiring “What do you mean when you say…?” “Is there a different word or phrase that would help clarify your meaning?” 15
- 16. Inquiry Challenge & RISK Difficult to listen and not defend Culture usually rewards having answers 16
- 17. Balancing Advocacy & Inquiry ✦ Listening diminishes ✦ Knowledge not shared only or over Advocate only or over Inquire 17
- 18. Dysfunc?onal Use of the Ladder Intent to understand is the cri?cal condi?on 18
- 19. 19 Trust -‐ Respect -‐ Civility ✦ Trust – depend on & believe in you & me ✦ Respect – value I have for myself & you ✦ Civility – beyond courtesy & politeness Create and sustain a genuinely safe space to allow for risk, vulnerability, shared meaning, and breakthrough thinking “Trust is the acAon side of respect – show your respect by trusAng. Caela Farren
- 20. Pause, Reflect, Check Either aware of each rung of the ladder -‐ OR -‐ likely to do It AGAIN and again 20
- 21. 21 Recap Ladder of Inference ✦ All rungs take place in your head ✦ Is unconscious process ✦ Trip up the ladder is rapid ✦ Seems reasonable ✦ OXen leads to misguided beliefs ✦ Reflexive loop affects the data you select next .me Awareness & Reflec?on ✓ Surface your own thinking ✓ Capture it and consider it ✓ Think about your Thinking Advocacy ✓ Make your thinking and reasoning visible to others ✓ Communicate your perspec.ve Inquiry ✓ Listen with intent to learn ✓ Use unaggressive language to ques.on and learn ✓ Ask self and others WHY
- 22. 22 For More Informa?on OPTIMIZE Central sylvia@gaffney.com www.gaffney.com Presented by Sylvia Gaffney, Ph.D. Sylvia provides custom-‐designed consul.ng services in organiza.onal effec.veness and change managements assistance to companies on a na.onal and interna.onal basis. Her work helps companies integrate their business planning through a systems perspec.ve. She facilitates processes to improve team building and blending, leadership development, intergenera.onal challenges, cultural change issues, resilience, strategic reten.on, and strategic staffing. Sylvia owns and operates Gaffney Corporate Strategies and Op<mize Central.