LADDER  of  INFERENCE

Climbing  a  Different  Kind  of  Ladder1

Presented  by

Sylvia  Gaffney,  Ph.D.

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✓ Improve  communica?on  ✓ Reach  agreement  or  

advance  resolu?on  ✓ Arrive  at  new  possibili?es  ✓ Learn  from  another’s  

perspec?ve  ✓ Allow  for  mul?ple  voices  ✓ Understand  resistance  to  

change  ✓ Surface  outdated  

assump?ons  ✓ Understand  the  logic  

behind  recommenda?ons

Why  the  Ladder?ü Facilitate  conflict  solu?ons    ü Improve  team  interac?on  ü Open  for  diverse  opinions  ü Prevent  overreac?on    ü Understand  your  

immediate  response  to  a  situa?on  

ü Uncover  own  &  other  biases  

ü Unearth  reasoning  &  origin  of    your  assump?ons  

ü Surface  and  test  your  thinking  before  you  discuss  a  topic

Consider  and  Remember

Two  or  more  ladders  in  any  conversa?on

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✦    Unconscious    &  Automa.c  ✦    Auto  Pilot  ✦    Mental  Models  ✦    Different  Interpreta.ons  ✦    Jargon  &  Acronyms  ✦    Emo.onally  Charged  Triggers

Make  the  Ladder  Work

Observe  from  a  pool  of  all  available  Data

Screen  Data

Take  Ac?on

Select  Filtered  Data

Add  Meaning

Make  Assump?ons,  Draw  Conclusions  &  Adopt  Beliefs

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Intui?on  and  Experience  Count

✦ Trust  flashes  of  insight  

✦ Rely  on  lessons  learned    

✦ Have  knowledge  &  know-­‐how  

✦ Been  around  the  block  a  few  .mes  

In  addi.on  to  walking  down  the  ladder

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Context  MaVers

Content  =  Actual  words  or  behavior  Context  =  Background  for  content

Contextual  clues  needed  for  shared  meanings    

✦  The  framework      ✦  The  environment  ✦  The  seLng  ✦  Like  the  canvas  for  a  pain.ng

Consider  the  villagers  response  when  the  boy  cried  wolf!

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Making  the  Ladder  Work  for  Us

Awareness

Our  natural  tendency  &  comfort  with  default  approach

✦ Self  ✦ Others    ✦ Situa.on

Advocacy  –  clarifies  my  Ladder  Inquiry  –  explores  your  Ladder

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Default  Posi?on  -­‐  Advocacy  or  Inquiry

Natural  Tendency  =  Promote  or  Ques.on

More  Comfortable            Either          Or          Both

Can  LEARN  to  be  more  Adept  

Advocacy

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✦ Reveals  your  thinking  ✦ Describes  the  data  you’re  operating  from  ✦ States  your  assumptions    ✦ Inquires  into  other  people’s  reactions  to  your  point  of  view  ✦ Encourages  others  to  provide  different  perspectives  or  

question  yours  ✦ Helps  you  listen  with  an  open  mind

Purpose  of  Advocacy

Inquiry

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✦ Expands  current  understanding  ✦ Explores  how  another  person  views  the  world  ✦ Advances  genuine  curiosity  ✦ Encourages  openness  to  another’s  perspective  ✦ Promotes  Inquiry  not  Inquisition

Purpose  of  Inquiry

Climb  UP  Advoca?ng  

Reveal  your  thinking  and  how  you  arrived  at  your  conclusion  

Move  up  one  rung  at  a  .me  allowing  others  to  follow  your  thought  process

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Ques?ons  to  ask  when  Advoca?ng

“What  quesAons  do  you  sAll  have?”  

“Does  it  make  sense  to  you?”  

“What  am  I  missing?”

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Advocacy  RISK

 Vulnerability  possibility    –  you’re  out  there  

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Walk  DOWN  Inquiring

Find  out  data  person  is  using

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Ques?ons  to  ask  when  Inquiring

“What  do  you  mean  when  you  say…?”  

“Is  there  a  different  word  or  phrase  that  would  help  clarify  your  meaning?”

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Inquiry  Challenge  &  RISK

Difficult  to  listen  and  not  defendCulture  usually  rewards  having  answers

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Balancing  Advocacy  &  Inquiry

✦ Listening  diminishes

✦ Knowledge  not  shared

only  or  over  Advocate

only  or  over  Inquire

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Dysfunc?onal  Use  of  the  Ladder  

Intent  to  understand  is  the  cri?cal  condi?on

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Trust  -­‐  Respect  -­‐  Civility      

✦ Trust  –  depend  on  &  believe  in  you  &  me  ✦ Respect  –  value  I  have  for  myself  &  you  ✦ Civility  –    beyond  courtesy  &  politeness

Create  and  sustain  a  genuinely  safe  space  to  allow  for  risk,  vulnerability,  shared  meaning,  and  breakthrough  thinking  

“Trust  is  the  acAon  side  of  respect  –  show  your  respect  by  trusAng.    Caela  Farren

Pause,  Reflect,  Check

Either  aware    of  each  rung    of  the  ladder  -­‐  OR  -­‐      likely  to  do  It    AGAIN  and  again

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Recap  Ladder  of  Inference

✦ All  rungs  take  place  in  your  head  

✦ Is  unconscious  process  

✦ Trip  up  the  ladder  is  rapid  

✦ Seems  reasonable  

✦ OXen  leads  to  misguided  beliefs  

✦ Reflexive  loop  affects  the  data  you  select  next  .me

Awareness  &  Reflec?on  ✓ Surface  your  own  thinking  ✓ Capture  it  and  consider  it  ✓ Think  about  your  Thinking  

Advocacy  ✓ Make  your  thinking  and  

reasoning  visible  to  others  ✓ Communicate  your  perspec.ve  

Inquiry  ✓ Listen  with  intent  to  learn  ✓ Use  unaggressive    language  to  

ques.on  and  learn  ✓ Ask  self  and  others  WHY

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For  More  Informa?on

OPTIMIZE  Central  sylvia@gaffney.com  www.gaffney.com

Presented  by  

Sylvia  Gaffney,  Ph.D.

Sylvia  provides  custom-­‐designed  consul.ng  services  in  organiza.onal  effec.veness  and  change  managements  assistance  to  companies  on  a  na.onal  and  interna.onal  basis.  Her  work  helps  companies  integrate  their  business  planning  through  a  systems  perspec.ve.  She  facilitates  processes  to  improve  team  building  and  blending,  leadership  development,  intergenera.onal  challenges,  cultural  change  issues,  resilience,  strategic  reten.on,  and  strategic  staffing.    Sylvia  owns  and  operates  Gaffney  Corporate  Strategies  and  Op<mize  Central.