The Postgrad Critical Other upcoming workshops Thinking Toolbox - - PDF document

1/08/2018 1

The Postgrad Critical Thinking Toolbox

Techniques to have more interesting discussions, tutorials and debates

Presenter: Nina Ginsberg

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Other upcoming workshops

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

In this session…

• More verbal focused – not written
• Techniques are valuable precursors for better critical thinking
• Adapted from Edward de Bono’s work
• Participatory
• Will take time to integrate into practice, so this session is about

introducing + reinforcing some key moves

• Listen (to yourself and others) - how is what we cover today not/used?
• There are many more techniques – these are just a few key ones
• Techniques in this session can be frustrating, not because they are

difficult, but because once you know them and start applying them, you realise how insufficient and uninteresting many conversations are!

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Why is this session useful?

Critical thinking is how the university trains us to evaluate material and make ‘judgements’ This session helps expand how you ‘think about the real world’ – which is mainly perceptual, not critical. VIP: Being able to think about thinking (metacognition) – not just what you think (UG), but WHY you think it (PG) The focus here is to explore a subject, not necessarily to make a judgement about it (that’s critical thinking!) Making a judgement about a subject comes AFTER you have thoroughly explored the subject in comprehensive detail (today’s focus) Applying these skills will improve participation in discussions, tutorials and debates – skills can also be applied elsewhere (transferable)

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Brief Warm-up Practice

As you discuss: notice some of the ‘conversational moves’ that occur and how the idea is ‘examined’ by your team

Do you think Australia should introduce a sugar tax?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Todays Focus

• 1. All Rounders
• 2. Agreeing
• 3. Disagreeing
• 4. Being interesting

Extras: Advanced Postscript: Concepts

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Two extremes

AGREEMENT You are totally right… I agree with everything you said.. I completely agree with you… Absolutely right.. I agree with you 100%.... = no discussion! Insignificant contribution DISAGREEMENT Yes, but… I totally disagree… You are wrong there…. That is not so… You are not right about that at all.. =argumentative / superiority Common in academia

Never 100% - place yourself somewhere in between

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

A discussion should be a genuine attempt to explore a subject rather than a battle between completing egos

Curious exploration of a subject Not personal Avoid the need to be right

• Society = emphasizes argument/debate
• Government, law and media
• Winning and losing = is not very ‘beautiful’

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All Rounders

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All rounder 1: OB3

OB3 = Opinion + because + 3 reasons Anyone can provide an opinion – few give reasons for it! ‘because’ is your new favorite word! Why? Three is the magic number – why?

• Is a quick and easy way thinking approach that can be applied universally
• Provides some dimensionality - avoid binary thinking
• Adds interest, critical details and depth
• Gives more critical detail for the audience to connect with
• Is much more interesting, advanced and thoughtful – esp. at PG level
• Challenges your audience to be more engaged and active – sets a bench mark

Revisit the initial discussion question using OB3: Do you think there should be a sugar tax?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All rounder 2: PMI

PMI = Positive, Minus, Interesting point What do you think of Australian politics? I think Australian politics is _(+)_ , however __(-)_. I find it interesting that _____ . Take Aways:

• Quick and easy to give an interesting answer
• Gives a better answer and your listener has more to respond to
• Applies to MANY situations – IELTS, conversations, essay brainstorms, etc..
• Transitions words helps to ‘guide’ and ‘build up’ your points (helps with vocab & cohesion)

Use in a combo …like with OB3 = ‘critical details’ I think Australian politics could be seen as useful because it is (+ #1), (+ #2) and (+ #3). Conversely, I think that it has a number of drawbacks, such as (- #1), (- #2) and ( - #3). Also, I do find it interesting that ….. Great for pretty much any topic, discussion or brainstorm!

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All rounder 3: Past, Present, Future

Past Present Future

Good for general topics or ‘discuss the issue of X..’ questions Connected to 3 is the magic number Compare & Contrast variation Check facts (past), present (experience) & speculation (future) Check use of tense What do you think about telecommunications?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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All rounder 4: Spheres of experience

globally globally continent continent regionally regionally country country state state suburb suburb family family

Compare and contrast variation How many sphere to include? Depends.. Expand out OR contract in Need to clearly identify spheres (who, where)

Discuss recycling.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All rounder 5: Social Domains

Explore topic in relation to a (new?) social domain Can help extend a subject in a new direction Stimulates lateral thinking on how issues could be connected or influenced Some examples: Education Food Entertainment Business Leisure Sport Sanitation Parklands Family Media Employment Resources Fashion Law/Legal Manufacturing Pets Advanced: Domains can be used creatively to extend, such as.. Classifications: Sports: Basketball, Roller Derby, Netball, Soccer. Opposites: Employment vs Family And in many any other ways - it is up to you! Make a list of as many ‘Social Domains’ as you can in 1 min

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Social Domains

Economics Production Resources Logistics Transport Accounting Regulations Law/Legal Labour Employment Welfare Technology Buildings Sanitation Wealth Distribution Governance Justice Communication Migration Identity Security Ethics Energy Water Air Flora Animals Pets Farming Food Habitat Waste Sanitation Sustainability Mobility Recreation Creativity Beliefs Fashion Religion Gender Age Disability Violence Crime Shopping Gardening Skills Sexuality Customs Norms Industry Learning Education Health Medical Wellbeing Fitness Games Family Friends Work Leisure Spirituality Travel Memory Furniture Business Commerce Art Music Dance Poetry Time Culture Science Houses Drugs Nature Weather Geography Sub-cultures Rights Task: Discuss ‘Pets’ in relation to: Public Holidays or Music or Religion or Buildings

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All Rounder 6: Super/Sub

Helps people understand the various elements in your contribution Clear distinction between your ‘levels’ of super/sub (you can also include whys ‘because’) Strong link to critical thinking Transition words are critical here! Helps with summary, expression & cohesion skills Shows strong organisation/structure and logic Helps connect/link elements within a subject/categories What are the main reasons some university students do not complete their studies?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All Rounder 7: Scale

Visualise a scale 0 – 10 Never position: 0 or 5 or 10 Useful for your discussion and assignments: To what degree…? The scale can structure your answer Is a good way to more interestingly answer closed questions

Is Australia the ‘Lucky country’?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

All Rounder 8: Ranking

Helps you think widely and rank answers You can explain your ‘thinking out aloud’ as part

• f you answer (this can be a great ‘discussion

move!) Forces you to take a position and make a judgement (which then needs to backed it up!) Gives some structure (for you) and gives you audience more to respond to Challenge your audience to commit to ranking answers like: ‘What do you think are the three most…

What daily actions can individuals take to protect the environment?

You can then modify and specify for more critical detail or focused discussion

What three daily actions can individuals take in the morning to protect the environment?

who is stumped, who is really ‘listening’ and who actually answers the (full) question

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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All Rounders: Summary

• PMI
• Past, Present, Future
• Spheres of experience
• Social Domains
• Super/Sub
• Scale
• Ranking

Discuss Australia’s obesity crisis.

(Use one technique fully before moving on to the another)

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Agreeing

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Agreeing: Special Circumstances

How to turn a disagreement into agreement Women believe in psychics and fortune tellers more than men do

• ‘Believe’? ‘Fun’?
• Historical control of women
• Harry Potter popularity

Arranged marriages are a good idea

• Romance? Soul mate? Free choice?
• Isolated communities – distinction between ‘arranged’ and ‘forced’

Take away: Make an effort to find a special circumstance within a statement that does make sense, and then agree with the statement but only for those circumstances

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Agreeing: Special Values

“If I had those values, I would agree with you” Similar to special circumstances

Telling a lie is never acceptable.

Answer is based on values

• A moral principle – you should never lie
• You can lie for the greater good

Consider: Murderer in pursuit of a victim

Conflicting values – moral principle vs. pragmatism: value of human life Take away: Spell out the different values involved and that you would agree under one set of values, but not under another set of values.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Agreeing: Exceptions & Exemptions

How to turn a disagreement into agreement Exception: an instance or case not conforming to the general rule. Exemption: free from an obligation or liability to which others are subject; release:

At some given time, students who attend university need to pay their educational fees. Women earn less money than men in all occupations. In Australia, an adult is a person who is over the age of 18. Take away: Make an effort to present and explore a situation where the general rule (or ‘agreement’) is not the case – then discuss WHY

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Agreeing: Sweeping generalisations

Can be difficult to disagree with

• All sharks are dangerous
• No politician can be trusted
• Men are logical, women are intuitive

You can disagree with the generalisation, but still agree with some aspects of it. For the last example, instead use:

• Women can be as logical as men when necessary but also tend to be more intuitive.
• Men usually work in groups and logic is a way of convincing others to go along with

a Plan. Women tend to act on their own and can rely on intuition as they do not need to persuade anyone else.

• I agree that women do tend to have more scanning mind that takes in more factors

instead of just moving from one point to another.

• What other statement can you come up with? Think, write and share.

Take away: You can disagree with the sweeping generalisation but show agreement with some of the implications.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Beware: 100% vs gradation

all/every by and large the majority most many some a few none

Apply gradation language unless backed up by fact (reference). Be aware of opinions presented as fact Consider the meaning of the gradation language the majority = 50.1% or 99.5%?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be Aware: 100% vs gradation

Other types of qualifying language – ‘hedging’ 1. Modals: ….might, may, can, could, must, would, ought to, will, should

• 2. Use weaker/stronger verbs
• Unsound policies led to the financial crisis. (stronger)
• Unsound policies contributed to the financial crisis. (weaker)
• 3. Using a combination of these techniques

For more ideas on hedging: EnglishHELP>Academic Skills>Hedging

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Agreeing: Summary

• Special circumstances
• Special values
• Exceptions & Exemptions
• Sweeping generalization
• 100% vs gradation

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Agreeing: Let’s try it!

Money is the primary cause of our social issues today.

Focus: use some of the agreeing techniques

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing

Is a valuable and important skill It works most effectively when both parties are genuinely trying to explore a subject Can be unpleasant, but it it necessary = truth & to fully investigate an issue objectively & comprehensively Some people’s disagreement can be:

• rude or aggressive
• in order to ‘battle’ and to ‘win’
• to showoff of their ego
• to demonstrate superiority
• they have been taught that is was conversation is about
• they dont know any other way of exploring a subject

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Disagreeing: Politeness

HARSH, OFFENSIVE & RUDE

You are just stupid. You dont know what you are talking about. That is the silliest thing I have ever heard. That is wrong. That is poor logic. You obviously haven’t thought about this. I disagree with everything you have said. How stupid can you be? You can’t possibly believe that.

POLITE & RESPECTFUL

I am not sure I follow your reasoning. That is only one point of view. How about this other possibility? I think I have some doubts about your conclusion? Maybe that is so, and maybe it is not so. I can think of an alternative explanation. As much as you think that, others may propose another point of view. Disagreement is valid – it can be gentle or aggressive. Predominately, being polite is better

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Errors in logic

Example: Across Europe, the number of people in prison range from 89-120 per 100,000 people. In the USA, the number is 750 per 100, 000, which is 6 x times more than Europe. Does this mean that people in the USA are less law abiding? Discuss This preposition does not necessarily follow from the statistics. What other conclusions did you come up with?

• It may mean that in the USA the police are better at catching criminals.
• It may mean that in USA the more types of crime are treated by prison sentences.
• It may mean that in USA people stay longer in prison.
• It may be that since 95% of criminal cases in the USA are settled by plea bargaining,

the number ending up in prison is higher. By seeking alternatives, you can show that the number of people in prison does not necessarily mean a greater amount of crime. This is just one possible explanation.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Errors in logic

Take Away: 1. When someone offers a conclusion, think of an alternative explanation for how something ‘seems to follow’ 2. You can disagree with the logic of how something ‘seems to follow’ = challenge that necessity/conclusion 3. It is best to offer an alterative when you do this, which makes your challenge much stronger

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Extension: For ideas on how to identify other errors in logic and fallacies see: Ideas Channel (PBS Ideas Channel) on YouTube

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Interpretation

Linked to Errors in Logic Mainly used when statistics are presented as with the impression that one interpretation is the ONLY possible version. You look for other possible interpretations for the explanation. Example 1: In Sweden, almost 50% of babies are born to unmarried mothers. In Iceland the the figure is 66%. Someone might use these statistics to argue that this means:

• marriage is not regarded very highly, OR
• there are low moral standards, OR
• this represents a breakdown of families

BUT… another possible interpretation is that couples do not get married until there is a real ‘baby-reason’ for getting married. The statistics do not tell whether the couples do get married after the baby is born.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Interpretation

Example 2: Statistics in Australia show that people born under the Zodiac sign of Gemini are more likely to have car accidents than any other sign. How can this fact be explained? Discuss other possible interpretations.

• Rather unlikely that the accident rate for ALL Zodiac signs would be equal

To explore this interpretation: you would like to know whether this finding is significant across different periods and in different locations (countries?). The size of the difference would also be important. What possible interpretations did you come up with? One possible interpretation is that those with a Gemini birthday reach a legal age of driving in Winter (June in Australia) and so start driving in difficult conditions and weather.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Disagreeing: Selective Perception

Selective perception means perceiving things in such a way as to support a pre-formed idea The mind has a fixed pattern = only notices things that fit that pattern Examples: A wife who finds out her husband is having a affair looks back over the whole marriage and picks out only those points which suggest that he did not truly love her. A fierce feminist would be ready to pick on any male behavior evidence to indicate male chauvinism. Classic use of selective perception = stereotypes and prejudices (racism)

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Selective Perception

• 1. Can be difficult to challenge because what is said may be correct. You

have no way of knowing what has NOT been said, or what has been LEFT OUT. A person who tells you all the instances where an employee seems to be lazy may choose NOT to tell you all the instances where the same person HAS worked exceptionally hard. Outside of white Australians, African migrants commit the most crimes in Australia. If you believe that a certain race commits more crimes, you will only notice instances of that race committing crimes. You may not see that crime occurs more often in certain economic groups and that there happens to be more of that race in these groups.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Selective Perception

• 2. Selective perception works BOTH ways
• 1. All Asians are good at Math
• 2. At one time, 50% of the employees at NASA were Indian and 26% of

the employees at Microsoft were also Indian.

• 2. Indians are especially intelligent or skilled at computer work
• There is a big software industry in India (esp. around Bangalore) and

there are many good computer training institutes

• So Indians going to the West were likely to end up in such jobs
• PLUS the shortage of IT specialists in the West meant that special visas

are more available to Indians with these skills

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Emotions

Emotions follow on from prejudice and stereotypes Emotions are most commonly expressed with adjectives There are subjective and objective adjectives Is the person really being objective, or is there an emotional tinge?

• Nina is so independent. Nina is so different. Nina is so subversive.
• Drugs are evil. Drugs are useful. Drugs are fun.

Subjective adjectives add nothing to the logic of a discussion, but do indicate the speaker’s strength of feeling Objective adjectives have a place: A ‘heavy’ bag could cause back strain. You can tell emotional content by the subjective adjectives used When someone uses a lot of adjectives, they often feel very strongly about something

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Emotions

Opinion adjectives such as lazy, useless, dishonest, careless, dangerous immediately suggest the opinion is very emotional (negative) Strip the adjectives from the opinion = the opinion collapses This means that the opinion is there ONLY as a vehicle for the emotions. Everyone is free to express emotions – BUT a listener does not have to be persuaded by the emotions or agree with them It is when emotions enter the logic of an opinion that they become dangerous BUT, if emotions are clearly labelled as such, there is no danger. This is what I feel about the matter… A listener may still ask WHY these emotions are in place

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018) PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Disagreeing: Different Experience

Different personal experiences lead to different opinions If your personal experience differs from a speakers, you may well find yourself disagreeing with the speaker’s conclusions

• A person who lives in a country with a monarch/royalty, will view nation state

differently than those from countries with a government or dictatorship structure.

• A person who has gone through a divorce will have a different experience of

marriage than someone who has never been divorced.

There is not ’right’ or ‘wrong’ or ‘more valid’ experience TAKE AWAY: In disagreeing, point out that your experience is different My experience of studying at Griffith University is obviously not that same as

• yours. I found that …

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Different Experience

HINT: There is different experience AND different interpretations of experience For example:

• 1. As a young doctor, I found that the nursing staff took very good care of the patients.
• 2. As a young doctors, I found that the nursing staff had little time for the patients.

At first, these two sets of experience seem contradictory It could then turn out that in the second case, the hospital was understaffed and the nurses were overworked = little time for patients

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Extrapolations

Airline Extrapolation: Engines shut down. Extrapolations = taking a trend forward and assuming it will continue Example: Ecologist have to do this all the time with Global Warming Extrapolations: sometimes might be right, sometimes might be wrong

• 1. The number of students entering university is rising in most countries.
• Can we extrapolate that to a world in which everyone has a tertiary education and

there are not enough jobs to go around?

• 2. The Chinese economy is growing 8% per year (much faster than other

countries).

• Can we extrapolate that to make China the dominate economic power in the world?

TAKEAWAY: like sweeping generalisations, extrapolations need to treaded with

• caution. There maybe some element of truth, but they are unlikely to work out as
• claimed. Very often, counter forces come in to influence or oppose the trend.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Possible & Certain

This is one of the most important points about disagreement You maybe willing to accept something as a ‘possibility’ but very unwilling to accept it as a ‘certainty’

• It is possible that raising the school leaving age will reduce juvenile crime. It would be

difficult to accept this as a certainty.

• It is possible that the higher suicide rate among men after the break-up of a

relationship is due to the break-up being more of a surprise to men than it is to women. TAKE AWAY: When disagreeing with something that has been put forward as ‘certainty, you can indicate to level of ‘possible’ at which you are prepared to accept the statement.

• It is possible that China may become a dominate economic power in the next 50 years.
• It is just possible that a human colony will be established on the moon or a planet.
• It is very likely that HIV will become the major problem in Africa.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Differ or disagree

Disagreement implies a regard for the truth = ‘truth concern’ You do not want to let anyone get away with something which is either untrue or offered as true without being proved to be so What spaghetti sauce do you like? It is a matter of choice. If someone suggested sprinkling ground coffee on spaghetti, you would probably reject this as plain ‘wrong’ - but it is still a food, edible and possible If, however, someone suggested using diesel fuel on spaghetti, you would certainly reject this – not only in terms of taste, but also it may be poisonous

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Differ or disagree

TAKE AWAYS: So in disagreeing you may be implying one of several things…

• That is simply wrong
• That is possible but not certain
• That is only one of many alternatives
• That fits your experience
• That fits your values
• That is right for you but not for me
• That is based on emotions and prejudice
• That is based on selective perception
• The conclusion does not follow
• That is one possible view of the future

It is too abrupt simple to say ‘I disagree!’ This wide range of disagreement should, as far as possible, be spelled out. Once this is done the disagreement can be explored.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Disagreeing: Summary

• Do not disagree for the sake of disagreeing or just to show cleverness
• Disagree politely and gently, rather than aggressively and rude
• Disagreeing can be used to point out:
• a fact or statement is simply wrong
• errors in logic/show that one conclusion does not necessarily follow from what

went before

• Selective perception and particular interpretations of statics or events
• Where emotions (prejudices and stereotypes) are used
• Show different personal experience
• Sweeping generalisations (you should almost always pick up & challenge these!)
• It is very important to challenge ‘certainty’ ad to suggest ‘possibility’ instead
• Distinguish between having a different opinion and disagreeing with an opinion

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Disagreeing: Let’s try it!

At what age should parents start teaching their children about sex?

Focus: use some of the disagreeing techniques

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Being interesting

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be interesting:

If you are interesting people will want to be with you People will enjoy talking to you The First rule: talk about what you were good at and what interests you Usually you will have two audiences

• 1. Those who know nothing about the subject
• 2. Those who know something about the matter and want to know more

For the second audience you should invite questions and seek to answer them

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Did you know?

1. Female stick insects can have ‘baby girl’ stick insects without any need for a male at all. If we could work out the hormonal combination that triggered the cells to divide then feminists could really get rid of men! 2. The seahorse maybe the most feminist of all creatures. The female produces the egg, which the male fertilises. The female then hands the fertilised egg to the male, who has to look after it until the babies hatch. 3. In Queensland, there is a frog that swallows its eggs which have been fertilised by the male frog. The frogs then turns off the hydrochloric acid and digestive juices in it’s stomach. The eggs develop in the frog’s stomach. When the young frogs are mature, the mother frog opens her mouth and the babies just pop out!

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be interesting: Information

Unusual information is one type of ‘interest’ You can accumulate such information by remembering what you have read in the media and research. You can also take a special interest in some specific or exotic matter and really become an expert:

• Zulu Wars
• Yacht Design
• Family structure in Kazakhstan
• Your research project!!

For most discussions, however, let us suppose that you have no special

• information. How then can you be more interesting?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Be interesting: What if?

What if dogs could be taught to speak? What would happen? Give some ideas Choose a topic below to briefly discuss with your group: What if China becomes the dominant economic power in the world? What if women were the only ones allowed to propose marriage? What if human cloning became available and relatively cheap? What if the HIV/AIDS level in the USA reached the level in parts of Africa?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be interesting: What if?

The ‘what if?’ approach involves playing with ideas Since ideas are being played out in the future, there is no way of checking which will happen and which will not Provides an open ended exploration = if it made to put forward ideas that are as ‘logical’ as possible For the sake of humour, the occasional ‘fantasy’ might be allowed This playful approach = simplest of situations can be turned into an interesting exploration TAKE AWAY: ‘What ifs?’ can add interest and encourage new

• considerations. Logical suggestions are best, but have some fun as well!

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be interesting: Possibilities & Alternatives

Most discussion strives toward certainty: ‘this is the way this’ ‘that is not right’ ‘this is what should (not) happen’ Putting forward alternatives and other possibilities can make the discussion more interesting Possibilities can be explored, even if they are finally rejected

• Maybe tax can be handled in a different way the tax payer could decide with up to half

the tax being paid what the money should be used for: health, education, defense. This would allow for a sort of voting through taxation.

Alternative solutions could be offered for recognised problems or conflict

• situations. Once the solution has been offered then it can be discussed or

considered.

It is said that in the USA 75% of people marry someone with whom they work. This seems a very limited choice. What other alternatives could there be? Internet, newspaper columns, agencies, marriage brokers… Quite recently the lowest birth rates in Europe was in Spain, which is a Roman Catholic country that forbids contraceptive devices. What is happening?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be interesting: Speculation

Each step you take in a discussion can take you further and further into new possibilities and new ideas These can only be speculative – as they cannot be proven as ‘true’ You are too many people believe that thinking and talking should only be about the ‘truth’ It may be correct that we should only trust and act upon the truth but in

• rder to get there we may have to explore possibilities (as with the scientific

hypothesis) In conversation there is also the entertainment value Speculation also has a much higher entertainment value and truth = playing around with ideas is interesting, engaging and entertaining Speculation: Are the fewer women artists than men because women are more serious and have to get on with the serious business of life and families, while men can be more irresponsible, frivolous and self-indulgent? TAKEAWAY: not based on truth, but extends ideas & can be fun and engaging

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be interesting: A most useful habit

Get into the habit of saying

‘Now that is interesting!’

Using this phrase will help reframe anything that comes up in conversation Instead of just carrying on with the flow of conversation, you now pause at that point… and you explore that point…

You can elaborate around the point You can open the possibilities and alternatives You can make connections You can ask for distinctions, definitions, exceptions and/or exemptions 1. You'll need to explain WHY you find that point interesting 2. You will need to build up and lay out the interesting aspects 3. You invite the other speaker to join you in exploring the point

TAKE AWAY: learn to use this phrase formally as an attention directing tool. Don't just wait for the attitude to arise. You need to ‘direct attention’ in a deliberate manner.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Be interesting: Summary

• The truth is important, but so is being interesting
• Interest may arise from things you have done, are doing or know about
• Use ‘what if?’ to open up new possibilities and lines of thought
• Look out for possibilities and alternatives to in enrich discussion
• There is usually more than one way of doing or looking at things
• Speculation looks forward and opens up new areas of interest
• Description only looks backwards
• Find & make connections = link ideas together & generate interest
• Use the phrase ‘Now that is interesting’ to direct attention
• When someone else opens up an interesting line of thought, go along

with it and help to develop the interest further

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Be interesting: Let’s try it!

With a Partner How can you be more interesting when you talk about ONE

• f these subjects….

Frogs Bicycles Steering wheels Carrots Chewing gum Alarm Clocks Underwear Scrambled eggs Flags

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Conclusion Overview

• 1. All Rounders
• OB3
• PMI
• Past, Present, Future
• Sphere of Experience
• Social Domains
• Super/Sub
• Scale
• Ranking
• 3. Disagreeing
• Politeness
• Errors in Logic
• Interpretation
• Selective Perception
• Emotions
• Different Experiences
• Extrapolations
• Possibility & Certainty
• Differ & Disagree
• 2. Agreeing
• Special Circumstances
• Special Values
• Exceptions & Exemptions
• Sweeping Generalisations
• 100% vs Gradation

What was the most useful or interesting aspect of this workshop for you?

• 4. Being Interesting
• Information
• What ifs..
• Possibilities/Alternatives
• Speculation
• A Useful Habit

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Thank you Good luck having more amazing discussions!!

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Bring it all together..

Open Discussion What do you think are the three most important health issues in Australia today?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Advanced Postscript: Concepts

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

What is a concept?

Briefly discuss with a partner … What do you think is ‘a concept’? How do you discuss ‘a concept’? Why can concepts be challenging to discuss? What are some examples of ‘a concept’?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

1/08/2018 12

Concepts:

Concepts are a very important part of thinking Identifying a concept allows us to ‘breed’ other ideas Concepts are the ‘parents’ of practical ideas For example: A small Australian town has a problem with commuters driving into town in the morning and leaving the cars parked in the street all day. This meant that local shoppers could not find anywhere to park. What is the operating ‘concept’ of parking meter?

1. A concept could be to get revenue from peoples need to park (That may happen but is probably not the main purpose) 2. Another concept might be to get as many people as possible to use the same parking space in day. (This seems more likely).

Now if #2 is the concept – then we can practically ‘carry out’ that concept in another way. No parking meters = save capital costs. You can park anyway you like but you must leave your headlights on.

• Of course there are some practical flaws with this idea (forgetful people), but it shows that

a concept can be practically implemented in different ways

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

You always eat ‘food’. But do you ever actually eat ‘food’ as such? You do not. You eat steak, you eat pizza, you eat

• strawberries. You always eat some specific

type of food and not ’food’ in general. Food is a concept. A hamburger is the practical idea.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts: pick out the concept

• 1. Domestic dogs and cats and rabbits come under the concept of ‘pets’. That

could also include canaries and white mice. How would you define the concept

• f ‘a pet’?
• a living creature kept at home for no practical purpose other than to be loved
• Cats catch mice, dogs maybe watchdogs
• a living creature kept at home for the main purpose of being loved as well as for

companionship and security

• 3. What is the concept of ‘education’?
• (OLD) To develop a curious mind that is cultured and can then learn about anything a

lot of subject matter is talk to develop this ‘mind’

• (NEW) To equip people to function in society and to contribute to society

TAKE AWAY: When you believe you have extracted the concept from what is being said, you can check on this by asking ‘it seems to me that the concept here is …. Is that correct?’

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts: Vagueness

Concepts always seemed rather vague Most people don't consider what concepts are But if you want to generate new ideas, design next steps or understand complexity then you need to develop some skill with concepts When you are dealing with things with which you are familiar you do not seem to meet concepts. When you were dealing with less familiar matters, then concepts become very useful ‘Don't tell me to buy ‘food’. Tell me exactly what you want me to buy!’ TAKE AWAY: Concepts are like underwear. You do not go to school in your underwear, although usually you ARE wearing underwear. The underwear is not visible, but is there all the time. It is the same with concepts. They underline the practical things we do – even if we are not conscious of them

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts: Levels of concepts

Another difficulty of concepts is what level to use? ‘Food’ is a concept. But so is ‘protein’. You could even say ‘steak’ was a concept because there are many types of steak.

• Now we have three levels of concept: the very broad to the more specific. How

do you know which level to use?

There is no magic rule for choosing the level of concept to use Sometimes the very broad is appropriate – but be careful! People need food and shelter = This might suggest that any sort of food would do. In the Irish Potato Famine, the British government sent over wheat, which was useless because the Irish did not know who to use, cook or eat it! TAKE AWAY: On the whole, very broad concepts and not much use – except a contrast different concepts, such as: ‘Should we want education on the basis

• f ‘reward’ or on the basis of ‘punishment’? Here, a very broad concept do

serve a purpose.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts: Levels of concepts

At the other extreme - concepts that are so specific they are almost practical ideas ‘Achievement’ is a broad concept. Youngsters need achievement. If we narrowed the concept to ‘success in sports’ and we might build more sports facilities (practical). But there are many youngsters who are not interested in sport. There may also be cheaper ways of providing ‘achievement’. TAKE AWAY: A general rule for concepts is: not too broad and not too specific Try out different levels of concept to find the level that seems to work

• best. You come to get a ‘feel’ for the right level

Discussing levels of a concept in itself can be interesting!

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Concepts: Types of concepts

Just is very different levels of concept, there can be different types of concept Pete comes up with the new business idea: to create ‘fast food’ with no premises. So a central kitchen produces ‘Pete’s Food’. This is food of the standard type, quality and price. Any eating place can have a notice in the window saying; ‘We serve Pete’s food at Pete’s prices’. What other concepts are involved here?

• Business concept
• No need to own real estate – use other people’s places
• Range is limited = product is standard = less wastage = economy of scale
• Branding concept
• $ into a brand = not a single restaurant/location
• More widely available = develop brand loyalty
• Customer value concept
• Reassurance of a brand = quality & predictability (regardless of location, know what food costs)
• Ambiance may not be guarantees = remedy with inspections & standards to ensure places are suitable
• Delivery concept
• key part of a business idea = without delivery the idea is useless
• Make use of other people’s property
• Delivery might be daily, or less often if the product can be stored

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Then maybe business concepts: why would this be profitable business? There are mechanism or delivery concepts: how does this actually get done? There are value concepts: what are the real and perceived values to the buyer, client or customer? There are a information concepts: how do people find out about this? There are acceptance concepts: what shall people accept this idea? There are competition concepts: what might competitors do and how will this affect us?

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts - Exercise

Concepts are tricky Getting the concept habit is not easy It is worth putting in some effort into developing the concept habit Make an effort to pick up the concept or concepts in one of the following situations. Try to pick up the major operating concept. You can also pick up different types of concepts in each case. Hotels Holidays Internet Banks Mobile phones Advertising

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts: Completeness

Concepts are rarely complete Concepts capture the main ‘essence’ but may not cover all aspects What is the concept of a tree?

• A way of centralising energy reception(from the sun) and water and nutrients

(from the soil)

• A way of putting together a volume of photosensitive material (leaves) in a

more efficient way then spread out on the ground (grass)

• A way of raising photosensitive material above the ground in a competitive

environment (bushes and other trees block the sunlight)

• Biological organism with long-term viability. Some trees live for 800 years

(compare to the life of grass)

Each of these is a valid concept. Not one covers the whole situation completely.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts: Completeness

What is the concept of a Dalmatian?

• A dog with the coat of black spots on a white background
• A striking dog that is friendly and easy to train

Of course there is far more to a Dalmatian than this. In fact Dalmatians produced a special chemical in the urine which other dogs do not. Concept vs definition The definition of an election might be: the expression of choice by a group of people The concept of an election might be: a mechanism whereby those with the right to choose express their choice in an objective manner – and a readiness to accept the result of that choice the ‘readiness to accept’ might seem unnecessary but is in fact a key component

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts vs Definitions

A concept is a label (a word or a phrase) that captures the essence possessed by a class of objects. It is an abstracted essence of a class of objects that is shared by all the members of the class. A definition details the abstracted essence in terms of the genus the objects belong to and specifying the principle or element that differentiates the given class of objects (the species) from the genus. The concept of man - an generally understood idea that corresponds to an (group of) ‘things’ = refers to the essence that is common to all human beings amidst the great many individual differences that humans posses. The definition of a man –the exact meaning or what is a ‘man’= a list of different descriptions, characteristics and iterations of what constitutes ‘an adult male human’ A definition of the concept of man - elaborates the concept by identifying the genus (animal) and specifying rationality as the differentiating element

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

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Concepts: Compare & Contrast

Once you are comfortable dealing with concepts and extracting concepts from what is being said, you can start to compare and contrast concepts. Some ideas to explore are:

• How different is this concept from that one?
• Are the two apparently different concepts actually similar, and just

expressions of one broader concept?

• Has the concept really changed or is this just a variation?
• Does this concept actually include the other concept (at a different level)?

Working with concepts provides a different perspective and perception.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Example

What is the concept of ‘public transport’? Is the ‘public’ part important? Does this apply the concept of ‘use without having to own’? Is the key component of public transport the fact that many people are moving in the comparatively small travelling space? (High-density travel? Space saving?) Is the concept ‘pay for use only as required’? You do not have to own the bus, garage or maintain it. ‘Transport’ is now purchasable in small quantities. There are negative concepts, too.

• Public transport is NOT valuable on demand both as to time and to starting point.
• There is limited flexibility with regard to choice of destination.
• There is less privacy.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

Concepts: Summary

• Concepts are very challenging but very important part of thinking

and discussion

• Concepts are like ‘parents’ that breed children (ideas)
• You need to pick out the concepts behind what is being said – what

is the concept here?

• There are different levels and types of concepts
• Concepts can seem vague
• Concepts are not always complete
• Once you pick out concepts you can compare and contrast them
• Concepts, definitions and descriptions do overlap. Descriptions

need to be complete, to define and separate. Concepts seek to distil the essence

• Thinking about concepts is a skill that needs time and practice

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)

References

De Bono, E. (2004). How to have a beautiful mind. Sydney, Australia: Random House Australia.

PRESENTED BY NINA GINSBERG (T2 2018)