“There’s no value in digging shallow wells in a hundred places. Decide on one place and dig deep. Even if you encounter a rock, use dynamite and keep going down. If you leave that to dig another well, all the first effort is wasted and there is no proof you won’t hit rock again. ”
―Swami Satchidananda, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Guided Practice: Getting at Underlying Values Using the Ladder of Inference
Context of Exercise: In this exercise you will have the opportunity to practice the use of high quality questions framed inside the Ladder of Inference Model. For this to be effective, you will want to engage a small group of work colleagues.
Specifically, you will want to engage the group in a conversation where you know there will be differing points of view. This could be over a direction on a work project, the meaning they are making about an office dynamic, or around differing goals, objectives or strategies.
In the conversation you will guide the group through a sequenced set of questions that will draw them “down the ladder” from their conclusions to their observations and their values. You will then take the group through your conclusions, assumptions, experiences, observations and values.
In setting up the conversation, inform the group that you are practicing some new facilitation skills and that the conversation will be confidential. Also ask them for feedback on their experience at the end of the exercise.
Exercise Steps:
- Select your group and issue/context for conversation (current work project or about the goals and directions of your work together, etc.).
- Explain that you would like to lead the group through a short series of questions so that you might better understand their perspective or conclusions. Then slowly walk them through the following high quality questions from the Ladder of Inference:
- Specifically, what is your opinion or position about what we should be doing in our work/project together?
- In reaching your position, what are the important assumptions that you are making that have led you to your conclusion/position?
- What experiences do you have around our prior work or in similar work that have led you to these important assumptions?
- What specific observations are you paying attention to in our work that triggers these experiences, assumptions and conclusions?
- Thinking through these observations and experiences, what are your important beliefs and values that underlie your position or are connected to your position?
- After completing these series of questions, thank the group for their insights and openness. Then you will reveal your position by sharing your answers to the same questions.
- Here is a clear statement of my position regarding our work/project together.
- In arriving at my position, here are the important assumptions that I have made about the situation.
- Here are the experiences I have had that led me to my assumptions.
- I have observed these specific things in our work project that are triggers for me to arrive at these assumptions and conclusions.
- At the core of my position are the following fundamental beliefs, intentions and values.
4.At the conclusion of clarifying both of your positions, ask each other what new insights have been reached by going through this set of questions together?
5.Has the conversation provided new information, or corrected information that might create new flexibility in your positions?