How To Ignite Human Brilliance : Ease

In this series of blog posts, I will be exploring the 10 Components of a Thinking Environment® and bringing each component to life by sharing my own personal experiences and stories of how these components make a positive difference in the world.

All quoted text is attributed to Nancy Kline, unless otherwise indicated.

The 10 Components of a Thinking Environment® are: Attention, Equality, Ease, Appreciation, Feelings, Encouragement, Information, Difference, Incisive Questions^TM and Place.

Click on each component above to read a blog relating to each one.

This post explores the component of Ease.

Ease, is essentially about “Discarding internal urgency.”  “Ease creates. Urgency destroys. When it comes to helping people think for themselves, sometimes doing means not doing.” Said in another way, sometimes simply being with each other in a way that is deeply supportive and fully present is precisely what is most needed.

True power emerges from true presence. And Ease is the lifeblood of true presence.

I have over two decades of experience as a speaker, a coach and a facilitator. Over that time I have come a long way in regards to the levels of Ease I experience when I am delivering a workshop, keynote or coaching session.

When I look back on the deliveries I did when I first started out, I can see that my lack of inner Ease was a problem. In the past, I have felt an inner urgency to prove myself. And this energy of proving and unhealthy striving was certainly not conducive to good thinking. I can now see that it put my brain (and most likely the brains around me) into an “away from state”, constricting thinking. I was trying to move away from the fear that I was not enough, and others were moving away from the awkward unattractiveness of my palatable desire to prove myself.

I continue cultivate self-leadership practices that are anchored to a deep belief in my enough-ness and a knowing that I have nothing to prove to anyone. Learning why Ease is essential to the holding of a Thinking Environment® has taken my self-leadership practices to a whole new level.

I was recently engaged to run an interstate off-site workshop for one of my clients. The event took place in another state, at a luxury seaside resort, so there was a significant investment made in getting me to the event. The morning of the workshop began in an intentionally easeful way. I went for a run amongst the kangaroos, took a swim in the resort lagoon and enjoyed a leisurely nourishing breakfast. Then, less than 30 minutes before my workshop began, the fire alarm in the building was activated and the venue was evacuated.  

I was surprised by my own capacity to stay calm in the midst of the shrill beep-beep-beeping of the fire alarm and the ominous woop-woop-wooping of the evacuation tone. The fire wardens announced that the situation was under control and turned off the alarm about 10 minutes before my workshop began.

In my final few minutes of preparation before the session started, I focused on the sensations of my body breathing and called on my go-to gratitude practice of thinking about my Grandma who was forced to ‘retire’ from her much-loved job in her early 20’s after getting  married (due to the Marriage Act that was in play for all female Government employees in the Australia at the time). Feeling grateful for the opportunity to be a wife and a mum - and do good work with good people in such a beautiful setting helped my heart to stay soft and open throughout the session, despite the dramatic start.

My sense of inner Ease continued through the whole session, and the workshop was a wonderful success. Afterwards, the workshop sponsor and Chief People Officer commented on me being ‘such a pro’ and the CEO remarked that my session was the highlight of the off-site. 

I do not think that I would have given the component of Ease nearly as much focus and attention if it has not explicitly been for my understanding of the essential role in plays in enabling people to think well, for themselves. Perhaps what helped me to stay calm was the knowing that my level of Ease was would determine the levels of Ease in that big group of ‘busy and important’ Executives who had invested a considerable amount of effort and money to be there, to think together.

In conclusion

The only way to really understand the power of a Thinking Environment® is to experience it. The more I practice embodying the ten components, and the more people I share it with, the more natural and easeful the components become.

“We will get to a new and better world with new and better thinking. Brave thinking that dismantles denial. Thinking that is the simplicity on the far side of complexity.” Nancy Kline

Hi there, I'm Cassandra Goodman.

I'm a former global executive turned accredited Thinking Environment™ Trainer and Facilitator.I love empowering people to activate their own brilliance - and the brilliance of those around them.

Are you ready to ignite the brilliance in your team or organisation? 

The Thinking Environment is both a framework you can learn, and a way of being you can practice.

Learn about my workshop offerings here.

Or reach out to explore possibilities [email protected]