How To Ignite Human Brilliance : Place

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 Place.

Place is about “Producing a physical environment — the room, the listener, your body —that says, ‘You matter’”. Place is important because “When the physical environment affirms their importance, people think more boldly” and “when our bodies are cared for and respected, our thinking improves.” Place is a form of “silent appreciation.”

The environments in which we work and live shape us. The places in which we think shape our thinking – for better, or for worse. As much as we might like to think of ourselves as somehow immune to the environments we expose ourselves to when we are thinking, or living, working, the inconvenient truth is that we are not immune. In the same way plants needs fertile, nutrient-rich soil in order to sustain growth and health over the long term, humans need this too on order to do our best thinking.

We may try to fool ourselves into believing if we just try hard enough, we can create a force-field around us that somehow protects us from the harmful effects of our environment. But the truth is that we are not robots or superheroes. We are susceptible, vulnerable living creatures that are connected to and influenced by our environments.

To think afresh for ourselves with rigour, imagination, courage, and grace, the room we are in, the listener, and our body need to communicate that “we matter.”

In my practicums, I have been paying attention to the spaces people are in. Ensuring that there is fresh air, light, enough space and comfortable chairs. That it is quiet and private. In terms of helping people to take care of their bodies I have been ensuring that there is plenty of water and nourishing food to eat. That there are plenty of comfort and hydration breaks. That whenever possible we are moving.  I have ensured that there are plenty of visual aids around the room to remind people of the ten components, the three streams of attention and the two worlds of thinking.  I have set places for everyone in the practicum and provided name badges. I have ensured that everyone had a pad and a pen.

I can see how taking this extra care is appreciated by everyone, and that by taking care of the space and people’s bodies in this way, there is Ease and people feel Appreciated. I have noticed how these things help people feel more comfortable, and more relaxed – and therefor able to think better for themselves.

There is also an internal care aspect of our Place – how are we looking after our own bodies, the only bodies we have, and the ones in which we need to be doing our best thinking?

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]