A few times a year, i take at random magazines on a subject i am not interested in or aimed at readers i don't belong. So i have by force new eyes because these magazine are written through differents lenses than my usual ones. Last examples (for a man, senior, urban) : tatoo, airplanes, fashion for young woman, organic gardening. You can do the same thing with video of course but you miss all the small details like advertisement, page layout, news ...
Have you heard of Collaborative and Dialogical Practices? It is a type of therapy (and really, they would argue, a way of life) that revolves precisely around curiosity and inquiry. It pushes for total respect and validation of the client, empowering them to do as they see fit to achieve their goals. (Very very rudimentary description).
I shared this piece with the leadership group of a nonprofit organization I work with… they are having a hard time thinking about future plans without dwelling on past successes (let’s do that again) or failures (let’s never do anything like that again) and we’re getting nowhere. Several of them actually read it - and even shared it with others outside the group. I hope I can help cultivate the beginner’s mind in a group of “experts”. Thank you for TAoN!
I’m in Toastmasters, where we practice speech craft and public speaking. One of the most valuable parts of Toastmasters is the feedback we get on our speeches from our fellow Toastmasters. Often, however, we have a visitor or someone new to TM who has an helpful insight that no one else has and I’m reminded that MOST of the people in the world (our potential audience when we speak publicly) are NOT Toastmasters, so even if they don’t have the vernacular we teach to describe how a speech might be improved, their opinion is still valid (maybe more so!) and should be regarded… not DESPITE the fact that they may fall into the “beginner” category, but BECAUSE they fall into it. In TM, we can fall into the trap of wanting to be as tactful as possible or, because we’ve known each other for a while, we become afraid to share our true thoughts, even if they may be helpful to the speaker seeking feedback. The beginner doesn’t (necessarily) feel these things and has the propensity to be more honest with their comments. I don’t know how to cultivate that type of honesty in a seasoned Toastmaster other than to encourage them to visit other clubs (where they don’t have ties to the existing members) and share feedback there and self-evaluate the difference with how/what you share there and how/what you might share with club members who you’ve known for a while.
A blank sheet of paper. Being present -- i.e. not bringing the past or future into the exercise. And asking what is it that I'm trying to get clear on? (If anything.) Truth is, for most people, or certainly the ones I've worked with, they don't understand the question they're trying to answer because they don't understand who they are -- What am I? So I'd say it's not just about idea creation but coming back to a practice of standing on your own two feet (as Thomas Merton would say). Blessings Julian
To be "child like" I think of how a young child would explore the subject or how I could "show and tell" it to them in a way they could understand and enjoy.
Another way to see something with "fresh eyes" is to tweak something you know a lot about to reset your mind. For instance, if you travel around town on a bike, imagine doing so in a hot air balloon! or if you raise chickens, imagine raising penguins instead! After you do that for awhile you will have a new perspective on riding your bike and raising chickens.
PS: Nice pic. I am not familiar with that location, I definitely have a beginner's mind about it.
While a mundane example, many of us enter into writing as beginner's. I have found that b/c I didn't have a set format or familiari inspiration, something new that I knew little about but seemed interesting has led to what I think is better topics and they often end up in an unexpected place. I would imagine this might serve designers well to have the novice be their tester as they will do the unexpected, the unplanned, what some call the failure of imagination. I am new and already love TAoN. Thank you.
In reading about the "beginner's mind", I'll share a tale my husband always tells about his work as a product manager in the early 60's for a high tech firm in California. Whenever the company had a complicated new product in development, my husband would give it first to the new guys, interns or fresh out of school, because their minds were open to new possibilities and creative solutions. Once the basic designs were done, he gave the product to the engineers with all the experience and letters after their names, who would tweak it, clean it up, and make it marketable. But they weren't the creative members of the team, they didn't have that creative "beginner's mind".
A few times a year, i take at random magazines on a subject i am not interested in or aimed at readers i don't belong. So i have by force new eyes because these magazine are written through differents lenses than my usual ones. Last examples (for a man, senior, urban) : tatoo, airplanes, fashion for young woman, organic gardening. You can do the same thing with video of course but you miss all the small details like advertisement, page layout, news ...
Thanks for the shoutout, Rob! I like the idea of starting a list of things you don't actually understand... In my case, a very long list!
Have you heard of Collaborative and Dialogical Practices? It is a type of therapy (and really, they would argue, a way of life) that revolves precisely around curiosity and inquiry. It pushes for total respect and validation of the client, empowering them to do as they see fit to achieve their goals. (Very very rudimentary description).
I shared this piece with the leadership group of a nonprofit organization I work with… they are having a hard time thinking about future plans without dwelling on past successes (let’s do that again) or failures (let’s never do anything like that again) and we’re getting nowhere. Several of them actually read it - and even shared it with others outside the group. I hope I can help cultivate the beginner’s mind in a group of “experts”. Thank you for TAoN!
I’m in Toastmasters, where we practice speech craft and public speaking. One of the most valuable parts of Toastmasters is the feedback we get on our speeches from our fellow Toastmasters. Often, however, we have a visitor or someone new to TM who has an helpful insight that no one else has and I’m reminded that MOST of the people in the world (our potential audience when we speak publicly) are NOT Toastmasters, so even if they don’t have the vernacular we teach to describe how a speech might be improved, their opinion is still valid (maybe more so!) and should be regarded… not DESPITE the fact that they may fall into the “beginner” category, but BECAUSE they fall into it. In TM, we can fall into the trap of wanting to be as tactful as possible or, because we’ve known each other for a while, we become afraid to share our true thoughts, even if they may be helpful to the speaker seeking feedback. The beginner doesn’t (necessarily) feel these things and has the propensity to be more honest with their comments. I don’t know how to cultivate that type of honesty in a seasoned Toastmaster other than to encourage them to visit other clubs (where they don’t have ties to the existing members) and share feedback there and self-evaluate the difference with how/what you share there and how/what you might share with club members who you’ve known for a while.
A blank sheet of paper. Being present -- i.e. not bringing the past or future into the exercise. And asking what is it that I'm trying to get clear on? (If anything.) Truth is, for most people, or certainly the ones I've worked with, they don't understand the question they're trying to answer because they don't understand who they are -- What am I? So I'd say it's not just about idea creation but coming back to a practice of standing on your own two feet (as Thomas Merton would say). Blessings Julian
Love this, Rob--a subject after my own heart :)
To be "child like" I think of how a young child would explore the subject or how I could "show and tell" it to them in a way they could understand and enjoy.
Another way to see something with "fresh eyes" is to tweak something you know a lot about to reset your mind. For instance, if you travel around town on a bike, imagine doing so in a hot air balloon! or if you raise chickens, imagine raising penguins instead! After you do that for awhile you will have a new perspective on riding your bike and raising chickens.
PS: Nice pic. I am not familiar with that location, I definitely have a beginner's mind about it.
While a mundane example, many of us enter into writing as beginner's. I have found that b/c I didn't have a set format or familiari inspiration, something new that I knew little about but seemed interesting has led to what I think is better topics and they often end up in an unexpected place. I would imagine this might serve designers well to have the novice be their tester as they will do the unexpected, the unplanned, what some call the failure of imagination. I am new and already love TAoN. Thank you.
In reading about the "beginner's mind", I'll share a tale my husband always tells about his work as a product manager in the early 60's for a high tech firm in California. Whenever the company had a complicated new product in development, my husband would give it first to the new guys, interns or fresh out of school, because their minds were open to new possibilities and creative solutions. Once the basic designs were done, he gave the product to the engineers with all the experience and letters after their names, who would tweak it, clean it up, and make it marketable. But they weren't the creative members of the team, they didn't have that creative "beginner's mind".