QUALITY OF WHAT WE DO DEPENDS ON THINKING FIRST

 

QUALITY OF WHAT WE DO DEPENDS ON THINKING FIRST
(How to manage better meetings)

The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first The quality of our thinking depends on the way we treat each other while we are thinking

The ten behaviours that generate the finest thinking, and have become known as The Ten Components of a Thinking Environment, are: Attention, Equality, Ease, Appreciation, Encouragement, Feelings, Information, Diversity, Incisive Questions, Place.

1. Attention: listening with palpable respect and genuine interest, and without interruption
2. Equality: treating each other as thinking peers; giving equal turns and attention; keeping boundaries and agreements
3. Ease: offering freedom from internal rush or urgency
4. Appreciation: practising a 5:1 ratio of appreciation to challenge
5. Encouragement: giving courage to go to the cutting edge of ideas by moving beyond internal competition
6. Feelings: allowing sufficient emotional release to restore thinking
7. Information: supplying the facts; recognising social context; dismantling denial
8. Difference: welcoming diverse group identities and diversity of thinking
9. Incisive Questions: removing untrue assumptions that limit our ability to think for ourselves well
10. Place: creating a physical environment that says back to people, ‘You matter’.

Further explanation of each component here. https://www.timetothink.com/thinking-environment/the-ten-components/

So below is a practical example of setting up a thinking environment, even in a tightly constrained scenario: a big topic, a few stakeholders and limited time. This is not perfect, but I wanted to share this as an example of can be achieved even with quite significant constraints. 

The approach below, is designed to surface areas of consensus or disagreement quickly, avoid time extended on issues that are unimportant, and allow everyone an equal time to offer their view, reflect on others, and contribute to the discussion. Remarkably, but perhaps not surprising, this meeting produced a lot of output in a short period of time, with contributions from everyone, and it stayed on-topic and finished on time. 


Hello [Persons Name]

i see you are [Persons Role]. I have been invited to lead the meeting [Date] for the following discussion

1. What are the key challenges to be addressed as part of the ABC Project and how should we prioritise the programme?
2. How will stakeholder expectations be managed?
3. What outcomes are we seeking to achieve?

As you may know, we have 4 people on the panel but only 30minutes.  I would like to give everyone equal time to make their uninterrupted contribution, as well as follow-up on any observations made by others. We have very little time to do this. I would therefore like to invite all the panel to circulate a BRIEFING NOTE of their key points under each heading *before* the meeting. We can use the time, about 6 minutes each, to summarise what each persons sees as being the key issues of consensus or difference, having previously read each-others briefing notes.

This may seem an unusual approach, but I am very keen that everyone should have equal opportunity, and ample time to consider the views of others. It would be excellent if all the panel have circulated their BRIEFING NOTEs by close of business [Deadline Date]. This is, of course, voluntary, but I hope you will find this approach supportive. 

If you have any queries I would be happy to discuss on the phone [Phone Number], via zoom or teams

Have a great week, and weekend. I look forward to what I am sure will be a thought-provoking discussion on Monday.

Best wishes 



Tim HJ Rogers MBA CITP 
PROJECTS, PROGRAMMES and CHANGE /  CONSULTANT MENTOR COACH
Adapt Consulting Company 
Consult CoCreate Deliver
Mob +447797762051 Tim@AdaptConsultingCompany.com

Tim Rogers is an experienced Project and Change Leader and an ICF Trained Coach as well as mentor for the IoD. He is a past curator for TEDx. Roles have included Programme Manager for the incorporation of Ports and Jersey, and Jersey Post, as well as Operations Change and Sales Support for RBSI/NatWest. He is also Commonwealth Triathlete and World Championships Rower. He has a passion for learning and has been a Tutor/Mentor for the Chartered Management Institute. He is a former Chartered Member of the British Computer Society, has an MBA (Management Consultancy) and is both a PRINCE2 and Change Management Practitioner.  



LINKS
The Ten Components
https://www.timetothink.com/thinking-environment/the-ten-components/