How we see it
I’ll take a wild guess and say that you’ve got a few decisions on your plate this week.
People are probably waiting for you to make up your mind.
Some of them will be about problems that others brought to you for a decision – a colleague, your team, your boss, your kids, your partner.
How you see that problem is affected by the way they presented it to you, as Shane Parrish, the found of Farnam Street blog, reminded his readers in a recent email about his decision-making program.
If it’s a tricky problem, you would have listened to quite a few different views on it.
Same problem, different interpretations.
It’s a bit like how the same photograph can also mean different things to different people.
Our small apartment block of twelve is trying to decide to whether turn the parking spots into gardens.
One of my neighbours brought a photo of an empty car spot, bathed in sunlight, to our meeting. She talked about space, freedom to move around, reading in the sun and planting vegetables.
The owner of that car spot used the same photograph to talk about convenience, safety and unloading heavy shopping bags.
One photo, two completely different ways of looking at it.
I use this exercise with groups. It helps people understand how differently we can see the same problem. It highlights subjectivity, bias and preferences. I start with a photograph of something unrelated to the problem at hand, to give people a bit of distance from the subject. But the point still lands.
It lays a good foundation for honest and robust discussions on the decision they are grappling with.
Legendary art critic John Berger said, “A photograph is not necessarily a lie, but it isn’t the truth either.”
The way that the problem was presented to you is not a lie either, it is just their truth.
Whenever you’re ready, here are four ways I can help you get high engagement and decisions that stick:
Watch my short videos with simple photo exercises to help you get better at noticing here.
Download a copy of my paper, Read the room like a street photographer. It’s about why reading the room is vital for productive conversations and making decisions that stick. Click here.
Come to my virtual #Facilitography walkshop. It’s an introduction on how to train your eyes to not just look, but to see, notice and observe. There are two sessions on the last Tuesday of every month, 2pm or 5pm and it goes for an hour. Book here.
Work with me 1:1 or in a group to build your own, or your organisation’s capability to read the room, for more productive conversations, higher engagement and decisions that stick. Comment below. We’ll make a time to meet to discuss your needs and see if we might be a good fit.
Photo credit: Jacinta Cubis