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Prepared by Miller Consultants, Inc
Adapted From
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
By
P. Senge, C. Roberts, R. Ross, B.J. Smith, and A. Kleiner
Doubleday, 1994
I. Preface
The charts in this booklet contain how-to's and examples for engaging in skillful discussions. Miller Consultants, Inc.
recommends that you review the charts before entering into team discussions and decision-making. We also recommend that
you keep the charts with you during the discussion, so that you can refer to some of the guidelines and examples if you
find yourself and your team lapsing into careless communication patterns.
II. Ground Rules for Skillful Discussion
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Respect the fear that often accompanies open advocacy and inquiry.
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Take notice of your initial responses to the opinions of others.
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Listen for what is said and not said.
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Challenge ideas and assumptions, not people.
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Beware of untested attributions, especially of peoples' motives.
III. Tips for Communicating with Clarity
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Action |
Example
(s) |
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Indicate when you are stating opinions versus when you are stating facts. |
Fact: Supplier X charges less per pound for the chemical A than Supplier Y.
Opinion: Supplier X is a better choice than Supplier Y. |
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Describe your opinion and how you reached it. |
"This is what I think, and here's how I got there." |
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Explain the reasoning that you used to reach your opinion. |
"I assumed that all else was equal between Supplier X and Supplier Y except price.
Therefore, since Supplier X charges less, I came to the conclusion that we should buy from Supplier X." |
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Think through and describe the effects that your conclusions would have on others. |
"If we choose Supplier X over Supplier Y, we would save money but we might not get the level of service
that our manufacturing facilities desire from Supplier X." |
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Give examples that will illustrate your own mental picture of what you are proposing. |
"Suppose that you are the manufacturing facility that receives the product, and that the service you
counted on is missing." |
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Picture other people's perspectives on what you are saying. |
"Envision how those who are leaning towards buying from Supplier Y might interpret what you are saying as
you argue for Supplier X." |
IV. Tips for Publicly Testing Your Conclusions and Assumptions
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Action |
Example
(s) |
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Encourage others to challenge your assumptions, your data, your conclusions, and how you got there. |
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Refrain from defensiveness when your ideas are questioned. If you're advocating something worthwhile,
then it will only get stronger by being tested. |
Avoid arguing back. Listen, listen, listen! And, explore by asking the challenger to say more. |
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Reveal where you are least clear in your thinking. |
"Here's one aspect which you might help me think through..." |
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Even when advocating: listen, stay open, and encourage others to provide different views. |
"Do you see it differently?" |
V. Tips for Asking for Clarification of Others' Opinions
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Action |
Example
(s) |
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Try to find the assumptions and data from which others are working. Inquire politely and gently. |
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"What leads you to conclude that?"
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"What data do you have for that?"
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"What causes you to say that?"
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Don't ask questions aggressively. |
Avoid questions like "What do you mean?" or "What's your proof?" Instead, say "Can you help me
understand your thinking here?" Avoid saying things like "Yes, but..." |
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Find out as much as you can about why others are saying what they're saying it. |
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"What is the significance of that?"
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"How does this relate to your other concerns?"
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"Where does your reasoning go next?"
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"How would your proposal affect...?"
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"Is this similar to...?"
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"Can you describe a typical example...?"
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Explain your reasons for inquiring, and how your inquiry relates to your own concerns, hopes, and needs. |
"I'm asking you about your assumptions here because..." |
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Check your understanding of what they have said. |
"Am I correct that you're saying...?" |
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Listen to understand. Avoid thinking about how to destroy the other person's argument or promote your own agenda. |
Look intently at the other person, and pay close attention to his or her body language. |
VI. Tips for Disagreeing
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Action |
Example
(s) |
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Acknowledge that you might have missed something that they see. |
- "How did you arrive at this view?"
- "Are you taking into account data that I have not considered?"
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Check your understanding of their position. Frequently, misunderstanding another's point of
view can cause disagreement. |
"If I understand you correctly, you're saying that ..." |
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Explore, listen, and offer your own views in an open way. |
"Have you considered..." |
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Raise your concerns and state what is leading you to have them. |
"I have a hard time seeing that, because of this reasoning..." |
VII. Tips for Breaking an Impasse
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Action |
Example
(s) |
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Sort out the impasse neutrally. |
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"What do we know for a fact?"
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"What do we sense is true, but have no data for yet?"
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"What
don't we know?"
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"What is unknowable?"
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"What do we agree upon, and what do we disagree on?"
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Look for ways that you might be able to get new information that would shed light on the issues. |
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Consider each person's opinion as a piece of a larger puzzle. |
"Are we starting from two very different sets of assumptions here? Where do they come from?" |
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Ask what data or logic might change their views. Ask yourself the same question.
If you can find nothing that would lead you to change your mind, you may be unreasonably "dug in." |
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"What, then, would have to happen before you would consider the alternative?"
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"What, then, would have to happen before I would consider the alternative?"
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Don't let conversation stop with an "agreement to disagree." |
"I don't understand the assumptions underlying our disagreement." |
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Avoid building your "case" when someone else is speaking from a different point of view. |
Force yourself to restate the essence of what the other person said before you offer your point of view. |
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627Upland Road, Louisville, KY 40206
Phone: (502) 895-0625 | Fax: (502) 895-0675
kathy@millerconsultants.com
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