By By Jeffrey MitchellUnfreezing Assumptions
The good news is that there's a simple way for you to boost your curiosity. Even better, using this technique can free you from limiting assumptions about colleagues or challenges that might be undermining your performance without you knowing it.
People tend to hold assumptions tightly, almost frozen in their mind. Assumptions begin to "melt" when they're exposed to awareness. The thaw continues when the assumption ("The world is flat.") is phrased as a question ("Is the world flat?"). The assumption is now a hypothesis to be tested and the mind is open to new information. This openness is essential for genuine collaboration.
How to Unfreeze Assumptions
Unfreezing assumptions involves three steps:
1. Recognize your assumptions
Become aware of assumptions through clues in your body language, words, and emotions. If your body language is tight and closed, or you discount data that doesn't support what you believe, or you feel threatened, it's likely that you're holding an untested assumption to be true.
2. Record your assumptions
It may seem like a hassle to write your assumptions on a sheet of paper, but it makes a difference. A documented assumption is more likely to be tested than one held loosely in the mind because assumptions are more tangible in writing, and reading an assumption creates objective distance.
As a point of reference, I usually fill at least one page of a legal-sized notepad with assumptions when I ask a client to tell me what he or she knows about a situation or person. Once tested, the assumptions invariably range from accurate to incomplete to just plain wrong. By recording your own assumptions, you can initiate that inquiry yourself.
3. Make each assumption a question
Turning your assumptions into questions isn't as simple as putting a question mark at the end of a sentence. You also must make a mental shift from belief to curiosity. In order to do that, you may have to ask yourself questions like: "Why do I think this?" "Could I be mistaken about this?" "Does recent experience support my belief?" "How can I add depth and richness to my understanding?"
Suggested Resources
Robert Hargrove, Mastering the Art of Creative Collaboration (McGraw-Hill, 1998)
Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline (Doubleday, 1990)
First Page > Why Curiosity Is A Key To Collaboration
