How to Listen So People Can Think

Information

Supplying succinctly, with permission and care, essential facts

Full and accurate information results in intellectual integrity.

We base our decisions on information of many sorts. When the information is incorrect or limited, the quality of our thinking suffers and we can be trapped in denial. Accurate and full information can both dismantle denial and construct a rich template of truth for fine independent thinking.


— TimeToThink.com

Is information sufficient to change our way of thinking ?

New information confronts us all the time. In some cases, it is easy to take on board, in others, it is so threatening that we push it away, sometimes without even realising.
 But if we sit down together and think,
and use all the behaviours of a Thinking Environment
including correct information, then completely new things can
emerge.
When we think together in such a psychologically safe environment,
we can come up with new ideas, giving us a better
quality of life and future.

How to do this in practice, see Meetings and Groups for information on Rounds, and Conflict and Polarisation for thinking together on difficult issues.
Interrelated components 

Information

Each component of a Thinking Environment can also impact the presence of any of the others.
For example, for participants to be Equal as thinkers and enable Different perspectives to contribute, all need accurate Information. 

Learn more

 For insights and examples of the impact of information on thinking, see 'How to Listen so People Can Think' (free download), pp. 157-163.

Spot the missing component

To create a full Thinking Environment, all components need to be present. When the Thinking Environment is not what it should be, here are things to look out for when it comes to Information.

  • Does the thinker (when one person is thinking) or everyone present (in groups) have all the relevant facts?

  • Is any essential fact being denied? 

If essential information is not available to all thinkers, or if important facts are denied, how might this be remedied?