LADDER OF INFERENCE TO MINIMIZE MISUNDERSTANDINGS
How many times have you acted on an assumption that turned out to be wrong? It happens all the
time.
Activity: Consider a major event that occurred recently (e.g. the Boston Marathon). What were you thoughts about the two brothers involved in the incident? (Discuss for 3 minutes among small groups) Facilitator should call on a few groups to get their perspectives. After each share, ask the question : “What evidence do you have to support your beliefs about the events surrounding the Boston bombings?”
Facilitator: As I consider my own beliefs through the lens of the Ladder of Inference, I see that in the “Pool of Data” (available to me as a spectator watching the news from my couch at home), were the reports from Dzhokar’s (the younger brother) high school friends, who vouched for his good character. I “selected that data,” lent meaning to its significance and came away with “assumptions” that led to my belief.
We draw conclusions all the time, sometimes not even considering their origin until we run into misunderstandings. Consider your reaction if you see someone cross their arms and look abruptly away from you. You might conclude that they are disinterested, disrespectful, and decide cut them off from future communication. Alternatively, if you were to engage in a conversation and discuss the observations that led to your conclusions, you might uncover additional data, such as: they felt a cold breeze, crossed their arms because they were shivering and looked away to see is a window had been opened.
The Ladder of Inference, originally developed by Harvard Business School professor Chris Argyris, helps us understand our communication barriers and come to common understanding based on shared data and interpretation. It is a wonderful tool if you’re teaching communication and soft skills workshops, but it’s also a great tool to use as a teacher or trainer, to better understand the thinking of your students or colleagues.
Adapted from trainersWHS