WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Believing and doubting

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work or location, and ours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is about one

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<v Speaker 1>way to identify and refine your team's best ideas, play

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<v Speaker 1>Believing and Doubting. Believing and doubting keeps us open to

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<v Speaker 1>a range of ideas and enables us to identify shortcomings

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<v Speaker 1>we should address. The Believing and doubting game comes from

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<v Speaker 1>Peter Elbow's book Writing Without Teachers. The book aims to

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<v Speaker 1>help people strengthen their writing, and as with so many

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<v Speaker 1>writing strategies, these strategies can help our thinking too. Here's

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<v Speaker 1>how it works. The doubting part is probably familiar. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just critical thinking. The doubting game, Elbow explains, seeks truth

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<v Speaker 1>by indirection seeking error. When we play the doubting game,

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<v Speaker 1>we identify shortcomings or blind spots in an argument or plan.

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<v Speaker 1>This is valuable for appointing us toward ways to improve it.

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<v Speaker 1>In the believing game, on the other hand, we choose

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<v Speaker 1>not to hunt for problems. Instead, according to Elbow, we

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<v Speaker 1>are trying to find not errors, but truths. He suggests,

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<v Speaker 1>thinking of the believing game is trying to get inside

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<v Speaker 1>the head of someone who saw things this way. Why

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<v Speaker 1>does the person really like and believe in this proposition?

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<v Speaker 1>By playing the believing game, we deepen our understanding of

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<v Speaker 1>other people's ideas. By doing this with multiple ideas, we

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<v Speaker 1>identify what's most attractive and useful, so you can stick

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<v Speaker 1>with the ideas we love the most. So when your

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<v Speaker 1>team is trying to find the best way forward, whether

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<v Speaker 1>that's how to approach a marketing campaign, how to pitch

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<v Speaker 1>work to a client, or how to solve a problem

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<v Speaker 1>with the service you offer, try playing believing and doubting. First.

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<v Speaker 1>Capture all the ideas people have shared, and work as

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<v Speaker 1>a group to really believe in each of them. What

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<v Speaker 1>works about them? How do other things fall into place

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<v Speaker 1>or make more sense in light of this idea. Take

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<v Speaker 1>your time with each idea, really getting inside it. Notice

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<v Speaker 1>which ones you find compelling. Your focus is not on

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<v Speaker 1>eliminating ideas, but on finding the ones you love the most.

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<v Speaker 1>And once you have an idea you're excited about, then

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<v Speaker 1>try playing the doubting game looking for errors. Notice any

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<v Speaker 1>limitations or weaknesses in the idea. Any blind spots. If

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<v Speaker 1>this idea didn't work out in the way you hope,

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<v Speaker 1>what would be the reason? Can you find ways to

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<v Speaker 1>address these issues? You can play believing and Doubting with

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<v Speaker 1>a single idea too. It's a great way to consider

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<v Speaker 1>whether or not to go with a proposal and how

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<v Speaker 1>to strengthen it. First, believe the idea, recognize its insights

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<v Speaker 1>and benefits. How could this go really well? Then doubt

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<v Speaker 1>how could this go badly? After believing and doubting? Does

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<v Speaker 1>the proposal seem attractive? If so, how can you improve it?

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<v Speaker 1>One reason I like us approach is that the believing

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<v Speaker 1>and doubting game helps create an open culture where people

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<v Speaker 1>are willing to share their ideas because they know that

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<v Speaker 1>their colleagues will try to love their suggestions rather than

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<v Speaker 1>just shooting them down. The believing game helps us be

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<v Speaker 1>receptive to a wider range of ideas, to including ones

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<v Speaker 1>that are bold or unexpected. Then the doubting helps us

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<v Speaker 1>refine ideas no matter who proposed them. The more you

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<v Speaker 1>play this game, the more you normalize feedback. People become

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<v Speaker 1>more comfortable with pointing out possible issues. Because doubting isn't

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<v Speaker 1>being critical, it's just part of the process, and it

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<v Speaker 1>lets us make good ideas better. Likewise, treating doubting as

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<v Speaker 1>a game depersonalized as critiques so people are less likely

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<v Speaker 1>to feel hurt. The whole process is not about an

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<v Speaker 1>idea winning or losing, but rather about deeply appreciating ideas

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<v Speaker 1>and honestly critiquing them all in the interest of making

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<v Speaker 1>them better. And who doesn't want better ideas? In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is low us. Thanks for listening, and here's the

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<v Speaker 1>succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you get your favorite shows. M