How can listening help unlock creative thinking?
You’ve a problem to solve or a change to introduce,
You want your team to be on board and engaged in what needs to happen next,
You’d love to hear their freshest thinking.
In this blog, I’ll share what I’ve learned about how how listening to different views can help unlock people’s best thinking and can build engagement,
and how simple changes to how we treat each other can help us transform relationships and lead to better outcomes.
Listening to different perspectives leads to discovery. And can save time.
We know that in workplaces, time is limited, and we need to use it wisely. The drive for productivity impacts on how we allocate and manage our time.
When I look back on situations when I faced problems or challenges and needed to deliver results, there rarely was enough time to hear the input of everyone on the team. Does that sound familiar to you?
Maybe you’re in a situation where you need to introduce a change or solve a problem. You’ve identified the options, assessed the risks, you know what will work and what won’t work. You wish people were more on board with what needs to happen, but you haven’t got time to devote to more discussion, especially if they’re going to suggest ideas that won’t work.
Or maybe you work with a team that is already co-operating well and everyone seems to be in agreement. You are all on the same page, and have similar views about what needs to be done. There are some people on the team who haven’t spoken up, but you’re assuming that’s because they’ve nothing to say or don’t want to be involved.
What if those reasons for not making time to listen to people’s views are based on untrue assumptions? What if there was another way?
A way to schedule boundaried time to gather everyone’s focussed thinking, which could save you time in the long run.
What if people who haven’t spoken yet have valuable information to offer? What if there was a way to give them an equal chance to be heard which could spark ideas, and could lead to better outcomes?
What if listening to different voices could build engagement?
I’d like to share with you an approach I’ve learned, which can help answer those questions. It’s called the Thinking Environment®.
What is the Thinking Environment®?
At the heart of the Thinking Environment (developed by Nancy Kline, founder of Time to Think Ltd) are the observations that:
“The quality of everything we do depends upon the quality of the thinking we do first”
“What helps us do our best thinking is how we are treated by others when we are thinking.”
If you create a Thinking Environment by introducing certain conditions or behaviours (known as the Ten Components), you can enable and support people to think more clearly and creatively.
Changing how we treat each other as we think and as we listen can transform workplaces and organisations. If you would like to learn more about how you could introduce this for your people, talk to me.
How can we value different thinking?
If we listen to someone with interest and hold back on the urge to comment as we listen, the quality of our attention can inspire them to think with greater clarity and confidence, it can ignite their thinking.
When we are pressed for time, it can be tempting to interrupt, or to hurry the thinker along. We might believe that finishing a sentence for them will let them know we understand, that we are anticipating what they are about to say. We might even think its affirming or encouraging to do that.
I’ve learned that a better way to encourage someone’s thinking is to let go of my need to comment, to resist the temptation to interrupt them, to avoid disrupting their flow of thought.
I’ve learned that when someone knows they won’t be interrupted, the ease that gives them can encourage them to think with greater confidence and clarity, to go to the edge of their thinking.
In her latest book, “The Promise that Changes everything – I won’t Interrupt you,” Nancy Kline describes how this simple promise can transform how we communicate, can transform our lives.
Changing how we listen can also help our own thinking, by giving us the space to really listen and hear different perspectives.
We may not always agree with what we hear but if we stay interested and hold back from preparing to reply or judge what we hear, we can be surprised by what happens. We might find a shift in our own thinking or a new idea might come to us.
Listening well is an opportunity to learn about the thinker, and to learn about ourselves as we notice our response to what we are hearing. Changing our mindset from judgement to curiosity and interest can open a new world as we appreciate the thinker and their unique perspective.
Creating a thinking environment for people can spark insights and fresh ideas, both for the thinker and those that are listening.
What is the value of listening to different views?
Many organisations have committed to the value of Diversity, and that commitment is often proclaimed in company policies. How does a commitment to valuing difference translate into the organisation’s culture, into the way people interact in their workplace, the way they behave when they meet? Are people open to diverse thinking from colleagues? Are different perspectives welcomed and celebrated?
We are surrounded by people who think differently to us. Diversity of thinking is not just about differences such as race or gender or age. Our different perspectives come from our backgrounds and life experiences, from our different personalities and characteristics, from divergent ways of thinking.
In a workplace, you may not always be aware of the diverse perspectives that exist in a team or group. Diversity of thinking might only emerge when people can express their independent thinking as they respond to a question. We might assume that if colleagues have similar backgrounds or roles, that they will share our views. Yet we each see the world through our own lens and we may be motivated differently in how we work.
The best way to uncover different thinking is to create a good Thinking Environment, where people are encouraged to focus on a key challenge or issue that’s facing them. Offer people equal time to share their views. Encourage them to listen to each other with interest, with respect. The richness of their different perspectives will spark creative thinking and can lead to cross-pollination of ideas.
Diversity of ways of thinking
As well as seeing the world through our own unique lens, we also differ in our thinking styles and in the ways we like to reflect. It is useful to consider how these variations can affect how people behave in meetings.
Have you noticed when you do your best thinking, and how does that impact on how you contribute in meetings? Do you like to think as you speak, do you find that being asked a question triggers your thinking? Or maybe you prefer to think in silence first, to have time to reflect and clarify your thoughts before you speak?
Have you been in meetings where some people dominate the discussion, while others remain quiet? What do you think are the reasons for that? What do you think is lost by not hearing everyone’s voice?
How can you hear all the voices in the room?
Why do some people seem less engaged in the discussion?
Some people like to reflect before they speak and value having a moment to gather their thoughts before they express themselves. They can feel uncomfortable if they’re put on the spot, and it can mean they don’t think at their best.
A person may remain quiet in a meeting because of how others behave; they may anticipate that others will interrupt or challenge them.
Have you been in a situation where you felt others at the meeting weren’t paying attention or that they were ready to jump in with their response or their contribution? Did you notice how the feeling that you would be interrupt had an impact on the quality of your thinking, and on your willingness to speak?
In any team or group, there will be differences in how people like to think and express themselves. If you change the culture to one that commits to a good thinking environment, it allows for these differences by allocating everyone equal time to speak without interruption, so that listeners pay attention and thinkers feel at ease. It can transform the meeting and transform your thinking, as individuals and as a group.
Online meetings or In-Person meetings?
In the last few years, how and where we work has dramatically changed. Adjusting from meeting in-person to virtual interactions raised lots of issues about what helps people work well in different settings.
The Thinking Environment principles and practices have proven to be ideally suited to virtual interactions because they guide how we can create equality and ease in meetings, and how we can make the best use of time. Using this structured approach to team or group interactions can lead to meetings that are productive and dynamic, meetings that can be effective and energising.
What happens as you listen to inspire someone thinking for themselves?
In a good thinking environment, you are listening not to respond but to inspire the thinker. This can also benefit your own thinking as you listen. You may gain an insight, or an idea might be sparked for you. Being open to new thinking and to different views can broaden our outlook and illuminate an issue for us.
The benefits of a good thinking environment are not limited to the thinking that is generated. When a team learn how to work in this way, it strengthens team relationships and builds trust. It can enable greater collaboration and information-sharing.
Listening well and celebrating your differences can help you make better decisions for yourself and as a team, and can lead to better outcomes.
Independent thinking
There is so much information around us, in the workplace and beyond. The volume of information can feel overwhelming at times. It can be a challenge to focus on “what do I think, what’s my independent thinking”?
When we can think in a supportive environment, we can find the confidence and courage to articulate our opinions. The feeling of support and respect is especially valuable if we sense our thinking is at variance with others. Having a safe and non-judgemental space to speak freely can be liberating. It gives us a feeling of psychological safety.
Having the chance to express our views or our reaction to a question can also help us make sense of complexity and ambiguity. Where we are faced with uncertainty or unfamiliar challenges, thinking well for ourselves can help us identify any information we need to help us make better decisions.
How does it feel when you are asked, “What do you think?”
Do you feel appreciated when someone asks for your opinion, when they want to hear your independent thinking? It can feel good to be asked.
It’s even better if then they listen to you with interest.
And if they don’t interrupt you.
Have you noticed how the quality of the listener’s attention can make you feel that your thinking matters?
What if the person listening isn’t paying attention as you reply? How does that feel? It may seem as if they’re saying your thinking doesn’t matter, and that you don’t matter. You might notice how it can be hard to feel engaged in what’s being discussed, if it seems that what you have to say has been disregarded or ignored.
What is the risk of not listening to and appreciating different views?
As a leader, if you’re under time pressure, it can be tempting to proceed to the next stage without hearing all the voices in the room. You might believe you’ve identified all the options and that nothing more could emerge by inviting others’ input at this stage.
What if someone has useful information or knowledge of which you are unaware? What if hearing something new from them could improve what’s proposed, or could identify something you’ve overlooked?
Welcoming different perspectives and gathering a range of information and inputs may save time in the long run.
How can biases limit our thinking?
Sometimes, we’re at risk of biases getting in the way or causing us to misjudge a situation. We might be at risk of confirmation bias if we’re inclined to look for information that confirms what we already know or favour views that are in line with what we already think. Limiting our thinking in this way can lead to poor decision-making.
Another bias to watch out for is affinity or similarity bias which can lead us us to align our thinking with others who are “like us”. This can cause us to dismiss or ignore the others who we consider to be “different.” This can be compounded if we stereotype or label others, especially if we attribute views to them based on our stereotype of them.
We can challenge biases by making sure we broaden the range of voices we listen to and by welcoming and appreciating different thinking and perspectives.
Another cognitive bias to watch out for is Groupthink, which can happen when team-members are so committed to being in consensus, that their desire to be agreeable and conform stops them from raising questions or challenging the group’s thinking. Encouraging a team to listen to others who express alternative opinions, encouraging people to share their independent thinking, can offer protection against the kind of conformity or other biases that blind you to risks or problems.
What about people who disagree with us, or when conflict arises?
It can be tempting, especially if we are under time pressure, to avoid listening to people we expect will disagree with us, or who raise challenging questions. We might see this as conflict and seek to avoid it.
If you encounter conflict, it is important to question if it is healthy or unhealthy conflict. Unhealthy conflict should be addressed and it’s critical to deal with any behaviours that are harmful and damaging.
However, it is possible to have healthy conflict if there is a foundation of respect and trust between colleagues. Learning how to have constructive dialogue and healthy conflict can strengthen your team culture. When a team learn the behaviours of a thinking environment, it builds the trusted relationships that support healthy dialogue and transforms how they interact.
Listening with respect does not mean you have to agree with what is being said. Listening with respect means you appreciate others and value their different thinking. And if you listen well to others, if you give them your respectful attention, they will in turn be more inclined to listen to you. It can change relationships.
Do feelings matter?
Letting people know that you welcome and appreciate different views can help them feel at ease and more confident as they express themselves.
On the other hand, if someone feels their views aren’t welcomed, it can engage the fear part of the brain and can shut down their ability to think clearly.
The link between feeling and thinking is fundamental yet conditioning may lead people to believe that acknowledging how they feel is a sign of weakness and is unrelated to good thinking. Actually, the reverse is true. Blocking or repressing what we feel can diminish our cognitive brain functioning. It can lead us to think less well, less strategically. Noticing how we feel and expressing it (appropriately) can help us think more clearly.
Have you ever been asked to engage in something that needed to change, and you noticed you felt a negative reaction to what you’ve heard? How did that feeling affect how you responded?
Being able to acknowledge what you’re feeling can help you understand what is causing your reaction. Releasing and expressing the feeling can help you think afresh and overcome what is affecting your thinking.
How can listening to different voices build engagement and accountability?
Most leaders realize that one-way communication is not adequate if they want to engage people’s commitment and energy.
If you want people to feel included, invite their input. When people feel involved, it can empower them, and they will be more likely to support what needs to be done.
Whatever challenge you face, it is likely that a successful outcome will rely upon your team members or other colleagues to take it to the next stage. Accessing the diverse thinking, and the knowledge and expertise of people affected can not only strengthen the proposal or plan but can also bring people on board for delivering what needs to happen next.
If you provide people with boundaried time in an environment where they can think well together about what matters most, it can build their engagement. When they feel heard, when they’ve had time to think for themselves, it can generate their support and build a feeling of accountability for what needs to happen.
How can you introduce this way of being in your team or organisation?
Introducing people to the principles and practices of a Thinking Environment ® can help you create a team culture of collaboration. Learning how to listen can ignite and unlock people’s freshest thinking. This is an approach that helps you make the most of all the expertise and diverse thinking of a team.
I run Thinking Environment Programmes where you can learn about and experience how this works, and have time to consider how you use this approach in your team or organisation. You can learn how to create an environment where people appreciate and encourage each other, where time is allocated equally and fairly, where you hear a range of voices not just the loudest voices.
You can experience how focussing attention on incisive questions can helps light the spark of creativity and innovation.
I also offer Facilitation in a Thinking Environment , designing a customised Programme or workshop to suit the challenges you’re facing or the questions you need to answer.
Talk to me to see how taking this fresh approach can deliver better outcomes for you and for others…
