How can listening unlock creative thinking?

You’ve a problem to solve or a change to introduce,

You want people to be on board and engaged in what needs to happen,

You’d love to hear their freshest thinking.

In this blog, I’ll share what I’ve learned about how how listening to different views can generate ideas and elevate thinking,

and how simple changes to how we treat each other can help us transform relationships and lead to better outcomes.

Listening to different perspectives leads to discovery. Making time to listen can save time in the long run.

We know that in workplaces, time is limited, and we need to use it wisely. The drive for productivity impacts on how we allocate and manage our time. When I look back on situations when I faced problems or challenges and needed to deliver results, there rarely was enough time to hear the input of everyone on the team. Does that sound familiar to you?

Maybe you need to introduce a change or solve a problem. You’ve identified the options, assessed the risks, you know what will work and what won’t work. You wish people were more on board with what needs to happen, but you haven’t got time to devote to more discussion, especially if they’re going to suggest ideas that won’t work. Or maybe you work with a team that is already co-operating well and everyone seems to be in agreement. You’re all on the same page, seem to have similar views about what needs to be done. There are some people on the team who haven’t spoken up, but you assume they’ve nothing to say or don’t want to be involved.

What if those reasons for not making time for more discussion are based on untrue assumptions? What if people who haven’t spoken yet have valuable information to offer? What if there was a way to give them an equal chance to be heard which could spark more ideas, more options? What if there was a focussed and time-efficient way to gather everyone’s thinking. A way that would save you time in the long run? What if listening to different voices could build engagement?

I’d like to share with you an approach I’ve learned, which can help answer those questions. It’s called the Thinking Environment®.

What is the Thinking Environment®?

At the heart of the Thinking Environment (developed by Nancy Kline, founder of Time to Think Ltd) are the observations that:  

“The quality of everything we do depends upon the quality of the thinking we do first”

“What helps us do our best thinking is how we are treated by others when we are thinking.”  

If you create a Thinking Environment by introducing certain conditions or behaviours (known as the Ten Components), you can enable and support people to think more clearly and creatively.

Changing how we treat each other as we think and as we listen can transform workplaces and organisations. If you would like to learn more about how you could introduce this for your people, talk to me.

How can we value different thinking?

If we listen to someone with interest and hold back on the urge to comment as we listen, the quality of our attention can inspire them to think with greater clarity and confidence, it can ignite their thinking. When we are pressed for time, it can be tempting to interrupt, or to hurry the thinker along. We might believe that finishing a sentence for them will let them know we understand, that we are anticipating what they are about to say. We might even think its affirming or encouraging to do that.

I’ve learned that a better way to encourage someone’s thinking is to let go of my need to comment, to resist the temptation to interrupt them, to avoid disrupting their flow of thought. I’ve learned that when someone knows they won’t be interrupted, the ease that gives them can encourage them to think with greater confidence and clarity, to go to the edge of their thinking.

In her latest book, “The Promise that Changes everything – I won’t Interrupt you,” Nancy Kline describes how this simple promise can transform how we communicate, can transform our lives.

Changing how we listen can also help our own thinking, by giving us the space to really listen and hear different perspectives.

You may not always agree with what you hear but if you stay interested and hold back from preparing to reply or judge what you hear, you can be surprised by what happens. You may find something shifts in your own thinking or a new idea might come to you.

Listening well is an opportunity to learn about the person who is speaking, and to learn about ourselves as we notice our response to what we are hearing. Changing our mindset from judgement to curiosity and interest can open a new world as we appreciate the thinker and their unique perspective. Creating a thinking environment for people can spark insights and fresh ideas, both for the thinker and those that are listening.

What is the value of listening to different views?

Organisations often commit to the value of Diversity, and proclaim it in company policies. How does a commitment to valuing difference translate into the organisation’s culture, into the way people interact in their workplace, the way they behave when they meet? Are people open to diverse thinking from colleagues? Are different perspectives welcomed and celebrated?

We are surrounded by people who think differently to us. Diversity is not only about differences such as race, gender or age. Our different perspectives come from our backgrounds and life experiences, from our different personalities and characteristics, from divergent ways of thinking. In a workplace, you may not always be aware of the diverse perspectives that exist in a team or group. Diversity of thinking may only fully emerge when people feel safe to express their independent thinking. We might assume that if colleagues have similar backgrounds or roles, that they will share our views. Yet we each see the world through our own lens and we may be motivated differently in how we work.

The most effective way to uncover different thinking is to create an environment where people are encouraged to express their own thinking. If you want people to focus on a challenge or a change that’s needed, you can do this by offering them equal time to share their views and encouraging them to listen to each other with interest, with respect. If you create the right conditions, the richness of different perspectives will shine though and will spark creative thinking and cross-pollination of ideas.

Diversity of ways of thinking

As well as seeing the world through our own unique lens, have you noticed that people often differ in their thinking styles? It is useful to consider how these variations can affect how people behave in meetings. When you do your best thinking, and how does that impact on how you contribute in meetings? Do you like to think as you speak, do you find that being asked a question triggers your thinking? Or do you prefer to think in silence first, to have time to reflect and clarify your thoughts before you speak? Maybe you like to know in advance what the discussion will be about, what questions you’ll eb asked, so that you can consider it in advance?

Have you been in meetings where some people dominate the discussion, while others remain quiet? What do you think are the reasons for that? What do you think is lost by not hearing everyone’s voice?

How can you hear all the voices in the room?

What about people who seem less engaged in the discussion? Some people need a moment to gather their thoughts before they express themselves. They feel uncomfortable if they’re put on the spot, they won’t think at their best. Or a person may remain quiet in a meeting because of how others behave; they may anticipate or sense that others will interrupt or challenge them.

Have you been in a situation where you felt others at the meeting weren’t paying attention to what you were saying and that they were ready to jump in with a comment? Did you notice that feeling you would be interrupted had an impact on the quality of your thinking? Perhaps you cut short what you were saying, or it curtailed your thinking. You held back.

In any group, there will be differences in how people think and express themselves. If you change the culture to one that supports and commits to a thinking environment, you will be allowing for differences by giving everyone equal uninterrupted time to speak.

Creating these conditions can transform meetings and transform your thinking, as individuals and as a group.

What about meeting Online?

In the last few years, how and where we work has dramatically changed. Adjusting from meeting in-person to virtual interactions raised lots of issues about what helps people work well in different settings.

The Thinking Environment framework of behaviours and practices are ideally suited to virtual interactions because they guide how you can create equality and ease in meetings, and how to make the best use of time. Using this structured approach to team or group interactions leads to meetings that are productive and dynamic, meetings that are and energising and deliver better outcomes.

What happens when you listen to inspire someone thinking for themselves?

When you listen to inspire the thinker, not to respond or comment, you may also benefit as an insight or an idea might emerge for you. Being open to different views can broaden our outlook, can illuminate an issue for us.

The benefits of a good thinking environment are not limited to the thinking that is generated. When a team learn how to work in this way, it strengthens team relationships and builds trust. It can enable greater collaboration and information-sharing. Listening well and celebrating your differences can help you make better decisions for yourself and as a team, and can lead to better outcomes.

Independent thinking

There is so much information around us, in the workplace and beyond. The volume of information can feel overwhelming at times. It can be a challenge to focus on “what do I think, what is my independent thinking about this question”?

When we are in a supportive environment, we can find the confidence and courage to articulate our opinions. The feeling of support and respect is especially valuable when our views or opinions are at variance from others. Having a safe and non-judgemental space to speak freely can be liberating. It gives us a feeling of psychological safety.

Being invited to express your view or your reaction to a question can help you make sense of complexity and ambiguity. If you’re faced with uncertainty or unfamiliar challenges, thinking well for yourself can help you identify what information you need to help you navigate the situation.

How does it feel when you are asked, “What do you think?”    

When someone asks for your opinion, when they want to hear your independent thinking, it can feel good. It’s even better if they then listen to you with interest, and without interrupting as you reply. Have you noticed how the quality of the listener’s attention can make you feel that your thinking matters?

What if they ask you a question but then don’t really pay attention as you reply? It can feel as if they’re saying your thinking doesn’t really matter. It can be hard to stay engaged if you feel what you have to say has been disregarded or ignored.

What is lost or missed by not listening to different views?

As a leader, if you’re under time pressure, it can be tempting to move on without hearing all the voices in the room. You might believe you’ve identified all the options and that nothing more could emerge by inviting others’ input at this stage. But what if someone has useful information or knowledge of which you are unaware? What if hearing from them could improve what’s proposed, or identify something you’ve overlooked? Gathering a range of information and inputs is likely to save you time in the long run.

How can biases limit our thinking?

Biases can get in the way or cause us to misjudge a situation. There is a risk of confirmation bias if we’re inclined to look for information that confirms what we already know or favour views consistent with what we already think. Biased thinking leads to poor decision-making.

Another bias to watch out for is affinity or similarity bias, where we may align our thinking with others who are “like us”. This can cause us to dismiss or ignore the views of those we consider to be “different”, especially if we stereotype or label them.

It’s important to challenge biases and broaden the range of voices we listen to. Welcoming and appreciating different thinking and perspectives and challenge prejudice and limiting assumptions will elevate everyone’s thinking and enhance discussion.

A dangerous cognitive bias to avoid is Groupthink. This occurs when team-members are so committed to being in consensus, that their desire to conform and be agreeable stops them from raising questions or challenging the group’s thinking. Encouraging a team to listen to others who express alternative opinions, encouraging people to share their independent thinking, can offer protection against the kind of conformity or other biases that blind you to risks or problems.

What about people who disagree with us, or when conflict arises?

It can be tempting, especially when under time pressure, to avoid listening to people we expect will disagree with us, or who raise challenging questions. We might view this as potential for conflict and seek to avoid it. If the conflict is unhealthy, it should be addressed and any behaviours that are harmful and damaging should be dealt with.

However, it is possible to have healthy conflict, if there is a foundation of respect and trust between colleagues. Learning how to have constructive dialogue and healthy conflict can strengthen your team culture. When a team learn the behaviours of a thinking environment, it builds the trusted relationships that support healthy dialogue and transforms how they interact.

Listening with respect does not mean you have to agree with what is being said. Listening with respect means you appreciate others and value their different thinking. And if you listen well to others, if you give them your respectful attention, they will in turn be more inclined to listen to you. It can change relationships.

Do feelings matter?

Letting people know that you welcome and appreciate different views can help them feel at ease and more confident as they express themselves. On the other hand, if someone feels their views aren’t welcomed, it is likely to engage the fear part of the brain and limit their ability to think clearly. The link between feeling and thinking is fundamental yet conditioning may lead people to believe that acknowledging how they feel (especially in a workplace) is a sign of weakness and is unrelated to good thinking. Actually, the reverse is true. Repressing or blocking what you feel can diminish your cognitive brain functioning. It can lead you to think less well, less strategically. Noticing how you feel and expressing feelings (appropriately) leads to clearer thinking.

Have you ever been asked to engage in a change project or proposal, and you noticed you felt a negative reaction to what you’ve heard? How did that feeling affect how you responded? Being able to acknowledge what you’re feeling can help you understand what is causing your reaction. Releasing and expressing the feeling can help you think afresh and overcome what is affecting your thinking.

When a group are facing a challenge, building an environment where people can speak honestly about what they think and feel about the situation, or about what needs to happen, will lead to better quality discussion and decision-making.

How can listening to different voices build engagement and accountability?

Most leaders realize that one-way communication is not adequate if they want to engage people’s commitment and energy. If you want people to feel included, invite their input. When people feel involved, it can empower them, and they will be more likely to support what needs to be done.

Whatever challenge you face, it is likely that a successful outcome will rely upon your team members or other colleagues to take it to the next stage. Accessing the knowledge and expertise of people affected will strengthen whatever is being proposed and will also bring them on board, involve them in delivering what needs to happen next.

Providing people with boundaried time in an environment where they can think well together about what matters most will build engagement. Having time to think and be heard by each other can generate support and build accountability for what comes next.

How can you introduce this way of being in your team or organisation?

Introducing people to the principles and practices of a Thinking Environment can help you build a culture of collaboration. Learning how to listen can ignite and unlock people’s freshest thinking. This is an approach that helps you make the most of all the expertise and diverse thinking of a team.

I run Thinking Environment Programmes where you can learn about and experience how this works, and have time to consider how you could introduce this in your team or organisation. You will learn how to create an environment where people appreciate and encourage each other, where time is allocated equally and fairly, where you hear a range of voices not just the loudest voices.

You can experience how focussing attention on incisive questions can light the spark of creativity and innovation.

I also offer Facilitation in a Thinking Environment , designing a customised Programme or workshop to suit the challenges you’re facing or the questions you need to answer.

Talk to me to see how taking this fresh approach can deliver better outcomes for you and for others…