How To Ignite Human Brilliance : Incisive Questions

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 Incisive Questions.

Inclusive Questions are tools that enable us to “Free the human mind of an untrue assumption lived as true.” The liberation of the human mind lies right inside an Incisive Question.”

I don’t remember much at all from my university degree. But I do remember one lecturer opening his session by writing ASS U ME on the whiteboard and saying “If you don’t want to make an ass out of you and me, be really, really careful what you assume.” 30 years on, I am reminded of the power of assumptions as I undertake this accreditation in a Thinking Environment®.

Incisive Questions^TM reflect the way our minds naturally identify and overcome thinking constraints. They are the questions reflecting the ones the mind naturally seems to ask itself when we are trying to break through a block in our thinking.

An Incisive Question^TM can be life-changing because it ‘cuts out’ an untrue limiting assumption lived as true and replaces it with a true liberating assumption to activate fresh, clear thinking.

We can gently guide others towards the formation of an Incisive Questions ^TM by offering up this elegant string of questions:

• What outcome do you want?
• What are you assuming? What else?
• What are you assuming that is MOST stopping you from going forward towards this outcome?
• Do you think that assumption is true?
• What is true and liberating instead?
• If you knew that <insert liberating assumption> how would you go forward?

In addition to these spoken questions, In her book More Time to Think Nancy describes Attention as “The presence of hundreds of silent Incisive Questions^TM . She gives the following powerful examples of the sort of silent Incisive Questions^TM  that can be unspoken, yet clearly communicated to another person given the presence of generative Attention.

If you knew that you are intelligent, what thoughts you would dare to have?

If you knew that you are good, where would your thinking go next?

If you knew that you are beautiful exactly as you are, if you knew that listening to you is the most important thing I can be doing right now, if you knew that you could figure this out, that your ideas matter, that your feelings count, that you are important, that you have choice, that you can face anything, that you can solve this even when the experts haven’t, that you are a delight – what new ideas would you have in this moment?

Here are two examples from recent extended thinking sessions I have held where I was able to guide the thinker towards the creation of an Incisive Questions ^TM. One session was with a friend and the other was with a coaching client. Both graciously agreed to ‘play’ with the concept of an Incisive Questions ^TM on the understanding I was still in the process of being trained on the process.

OUTCOME: I want to let go of the pain, while holding onto the lessons.

LIMITING ASSUMPTION: If I let go of the pain, I won’t be able to hold the people who hurt me to account, and protect others from being hurt.

LIBERATING ASSUMPTION: I am fu**ing brave

INCISIVE QUESTION: If you knew you were fu**ing brave, how would you go forward?

OUTCOME: I want to accelerate change, while still being inclusive.

LIMITING ASSUMPTION: I need to go “above and beyond” to make sure no one gets upset with me.

LIBERATING ASSUMPTION: I am enough.

INCISIVE QUESTION: If you knew you are enough, how would you go forward?

We can also use Incisive Questions in meetings, whenever we notice a stuckness in our thinking. Just image the sorts of new possibilities that could be unlocked in Executive Meetings and around Boardroom tables if decision-makers became adept at asking Incisive Questions of each other. What outcomes do we really want here? What are we assuming? Is that really true? Can we know for sure it’s true? What might we assume instead that is true and more liberating?

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]