More Time to Think: The power of independent thinking

“Here’s how it could work, I think: One person is the Facilitator. One person is the Presenter. One person is the Scribe. Or there could be a digital recorder. The Presenter identifies an issue or dilemma. They think about it out loud. After a few minutes, maybe not more than ten, they consider what question they would like the people in the group

We need to find, eject and replace the untrue cognitive assumption that is making us feel bad with the true liberating one that will make us feel good.

when Al said that to me, he was talking about heightened awareness through contrast. Over the years of organizational life he had become numb to the pain of interruption, of rushing his thoughts and fighting to keep his turn, of being trampled by the people who stampeded in order to get noticed, of being dismissed when he ventured difference.

And he began by asking people to focus on reality, the good part, the successes. He asked questions like: What do you think is progressing well in our work right now? He knew the research on Appreciation. He made sure the ratio of positive reality to negative reality was at least 5:1. He

If you knew that you are intelligent, what more would you think? If you knew that I welcome whatever you need to say, what would you feel? If you knew that your thinking matters, what other ideas would occur to you? If you knew that I am interested, where would your thinking take you next?

Then he contacted the presenters. He told them they would have only 40 percent of the time allotted for their item. The rest of the time would be for the group to think.

Attention Listening without interruption Being interested in what the person will say next Attention is an act of creation Listening to reply is different from listening to ignite As the thinker, knowing you will not be interrupted frees you truly to think for yourself

person’s finest thinking lives inside those linings of minutes when you are not plotting or trying or prying loose.

Celia aced this. She said, “Given that the assumption that there is an inherent standard of beauty is stopping you from feeling happy about your body, what would you credibly have to assume in order to feel happy about your body?”