Ground Rules Teleclass Series - Ground Rule 1

People make assumptions all the time. You can't get through the day without making them. For example, you hear someone say "The project would be on time if it weren't for the staffing issues." and you privately think the person is talking about your staffing issues in particular.

People often think that making assumptions creates problems – that assumptions are bad. They work hard to try to stop making assumptions.

They're focused in the wrong place. Making assumptions is part of what it means to be human. You can't get through the day without making them.

People get themselves and their groups into trouble when they make assumptions and treat them as if they were facts. This leads groups to make poor decisions and it decreases trust.

They also get into trouble when they make assumptions that they can't back up with examples. If you could hear their thoughts, this might sound like: "Oh, I know why they said that – what they really mean is…" This happens especially in challenging situations, and these assumptions are usually more negative than what's really going on. Again, this creates unnecessary defensiveness and limits learning.

If you change nothing else, learning to use this ground rule will make a dramatic difference in your effectiveness with others. That's why Testing Assumptions and Inferences is the first ground rule in the series.

I'll show you how to use this ground rule to do three things:

• First, I'll show you how, in the moment, to notice that you're making assumptions, and to notice when others do so as well.
• Then, I'll help you learn how to make assumptions that are closely linked to examples – again, in real time. This will help you test them out without making people defensive. You'll also enjoy a less stressful life if you do this.
• Finally, we'll work with the Diagnosis-Intervention Cycle, a tool I've developed to help you publicly test out your assumptions without contributing to a defensive reaction.

Your stories, opportunities and challenges will be the practice field. I'll share some key concepts – mostly via advance reading – and we'll quickly move into "clinic" mode, where we work together to make the material practical and meaningful for you.
We'll do all this in a fast-paced, focused way, and the class will be highly interactive. We're limiting participation to ensure this, and the teleclass will be an hour long.

There will be a short written assignment beforehand, as well as some prereading. This will help us focus, in the call, on your learning and your real situations.

If you can't attend, you can purchase a recording of the entire class. If you choose this option, you will still receive all the supporting materials and assignments.

If you are still reading, I think you'll find the teleclass quite valuable. I invite you to participate.

• The advance assignment and course materials to help you get the most out of the teleclass.
• The digital recording of the teleclass. We will send you a link to download it, along with the materials above.
• The complete transcript of the call, if purchased.

If you think this program is what you're looking for, I invite you to purchase it right here.

I encourage you to purchase the entire Ground Rules teleclass series to maximize your learning; when used together, these groundrules are much more powerful than they are on their own.