Twofer Tuesday: On Questions & Facts
📚 Michael Bungay Stanier
Author of *The Coaching Habit* (1 million+ sold), *How to Work with (Almost) Anyone* & more ⑊ I help people unlock greatness: theirs and others' ⑊ #1 thought leader on coaching ⑊Top rated keynote speaker ⑊ Rhodes Scholar
Our brains are complicated things. And that can be both a good thing and a bad thing. We’re capable of channelling our minds for greatness, but we’re prone to bias and lasting misconceptions. This week, I choose to channel the power of the Twofers for good: toward better understanding how our minds interpret and react to questions and facts.
Questioning the Power of the Mind
If you’re a regular to this blog, or to my site in general, you know that I’m a big proponent of questions. They take you out of your head and open your mind to ideas, insights and innovations from others.
But did you know that questions actually have the power not only to influence what our brains do the instant we hear them but also to shape our future behaviour? That’s pretty heady stuff.
Read: Want to Know What Your Brain Does When It Hears a Question?
Fact or Fiction: Does It Matter to Our Grey Matter?
Which do you think carry more weight — impressions or facts?
The fact is that impressions are remarkably persistent, even in the face of hard evidence that contradicts our beliefs. A scary yet perhaps unsurprising finding in the era of fake news and alternative facts, wouldn’t you say?
“Consider what’s become known as ‘confirmation bias,’ the tendency people have to embrace information that supports their beliefs and reject information that contradicts them.”
Read: Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
Psst: Have you joined our Tools for the Time-Crunched Manager LinkedIn group? It’s designed to inspire and help you conquer the day-to-day challenges of your workday.
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS POST, YOU'LL ALSO LIKE:
- Sarah Green Carmichael on the Best New Ideas
- Twofer Tuesday: On Pattern Recognition and Singing to a Different Beat
- How to Lead More and Control Less
- How to Stay Focused in a World of Distractions
___________________________________________________
ABOUT MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER & BOX OF CRAYONS
Michael Bungay Stanier is the Senior Partner and Founder of Box of Crayons, a company that helps people and organizations do less Good Work and more Great Work. It's best known from its coaching programs that give busy managers the tools to coach in 10 minutes or less.
Download free chapters of Michael's latest book The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever here.
Already read it? Fantastic! If you felt so moved, an Amazon rating/review is always greatly appreciated.