Information. Some people reckon it's power, Nancy Kline says it's the seventh component in a thinking environment, so let's explore...
This is where the polar opposite of emotions comes in - just giving the factual information for a situation with all the raw feelings removed. Imagine the last time you were caught in the middle of a fiery discussion, loaded with emotions and everybody vying to get their point across. What would have happened if (delete as appropriate) mr/mrs/miss/ms/lord/lady rational had waded in to bring everybody back down to earth with the bare facts and got you focused again on what you were trying to achieve?
Not everybody has fact giving as a natural talent, and if you don't have it (which is absolutely fine by the way) it's going to be important to find those that are and surround yourself with them. Yep, it might be time increase your circle of friends!
In the spirit of a thinking environment, you could more formally assign the role to someone in a meeting or discussion so you always know that no matter how emotive a situation gets or if you just get caught up in aspects of a decision you don't need to, you will be pulled back by your information giver. If however you're reading this and thinking 'I don't know anybody who could take on that role no matter how much arm twisting I do' or it might be that you're flying solo and you're having to take on every role then fear not, I have a solution for that too. Information doesn't have to come verbally from a person does it? So how about a visual (A3 paper, flip chart, a slide, a post it...anything really) that has the facts on it for you. You could have it up in the room, on your desktop, stick it on your mirror as you're getting ready - absolutely anywhere as long as it is in plain sight and clear.
So, the next time you're heading into a discussion, a meeting, or some alone time working on a project before you start ask yourself...how are you going to keep the factual information front and centre?
Happy planning x
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