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What is the Thinking Environment?

A Thinking Environment is a way of listening to, and being with, one another.  Most important is the dedication to knowing that you have everything you need to think for yourself – to realize up fresh ideas, directions, understandings, and solutions.  This reminds me of the psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need” . Or, “Be still and know that I am God.”

 

Yes!  This is our Good Shepherd calling us nearer to know what we think, and feel, and want to say.   It is our chance to know how much we are loved and known. By receiving such care, we can make a greater response of love in the world in our own gifted way.  This is discernment – “becoming intentionally aware of how God is present, active, and calling us so that we can respond with increasingly greater faithfulness and fidelity” Elizabeth Liebert, SNJM

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“The human soul doesn’t want to be advised or fixed or saved.  It wants to be witnessed – to be seen and heard and companioned exactly as it is.”  Parker Palmer

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All we need is the time and space to hear ourselves. It is rare and powerful to be witnessed by another person who is giving the kind of attention, without interruption, that ignites your thinking.  The listener is present with interest; they do not reply or advise or add in any way.  The added value is in being given this deliberate time and attention from another person who is truly hearing our thoughts.  What a rare gift this is!

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Ten components that create a Thinking Environment are generative attention, equality in our thinking, ease, appreciation, feelings, information, incisive questions, place, encouragement, and difference.

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“The quality of everything we do depends first on the quality of thinking we do; and the quality of the thinking we do depends on how we are being treated.” Nancy Kline

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In this way you can have ground that is yours…

you can say it,

consider it,

change it,

finish your sentences,

choose your own words.

 

With the generative attention of another who will not interrupt you.

We are made for this…

What is a Thinking Pair?

Equal turns for two people to think for themselves about topics of their individual choice.

There is no dialogue or comment on each other’s thinking.

The ten components or ingredients for a Thinking Environment are maintained.

Attention is an act of creation – it generates thinking in another person. Generative attention is listening to ignite another person’s thinking, which is different than listening to reply. Attention is driven by genuine interest in where the person’s thinking will go next. 

 

Being the listener in the Thinking Pair – settle back, keep your eyes on the eyes of the person thinking, cultivate fascination with what they will say next, know that your job is to help the person think for themselves

 

How to do Thinking Pair process with a partner

  1.  Find time and space that supports generative thinking – comfortable, free of distractions, private

  2. Decide with your thinking partner how long you want to think.  This should be the same amount of time for each partners thinking.

  3. Partner #1 goes first, sets timer for the agreed upon time.

  4. Partner #2 asks “What would you like to think about and what are your thoughts?”

  5. Partner #1 thinks about a topic of their choice aloud or silently until time is up.

 

(Note: If the thinker says they are done, they are likely not but have just finished a wave of thinking. The thinker might ask for a follow up question “what more do you think or feel or want to say” to ignite further thinking for themselves.)

Repeat

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  1. Partner #2 sets timer for agreed upon time

  2. Partner #1 asks “What would you like to think about and what are your thoughts?”

  3. Partner #2 thinks about a topic of their choice aloud or silently until time is up.

  4. Each person gives the other an appreciation that is sincere, succinct, and

 

I am always grateful for level of confidentiality which includes not commenting on another’s content.  This retains the deep psychological safety of the Time to Think way.

 

Ten Components for a Thinking Environment

Attention

Equality

Ease

Appreciation

Encouragement

Feelings

Information

Difference

Incisive Questions

Place

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