Stop reaching conclusions about everything and anything (even the weather) instead start asking for more possibilities.

Why?
When we have a point of view about something we are inclined to reach a conclusion.
That conclusion limits us. When you reach a conclusion based on your point of view, and you believe it, you lock it in place and it becomes your reality. What if your points of view were just interesting points of view?

This is how Lisa used it:
She was really fed up when yet another meeting was called to discuss the hire of a new department head.
The details had already been thrashed out over 3 meetings and the candidate had refused their offer. She knew they were just going to repeat the same offer (conclusion) and the meeting would be the same old, same old, going nowhere (conclusion). She would be justifying and explaining all over again (conclusion), sending on the information again (conclusion) and feeling powerless to influence the outcome (conclusion).

As our conversation went on, she was predicting word for word what they would say and what she would say. Talk about being locked in!

Here is what we agreed she would do:

1) Before the meeting, she would leave all her conclusions and points of view on a chair outside the door.
2) At the meeting, she would listen, listen, listen for any conclusions that were being drawn by others
3) She would ask questions like: What would it take to change this? or What else is possible? and zip it,
stay silent and wait for a response.

The new department head was hired. Did this have something to do with the way Lisa handled it? Who knows? Interesting point of view and what else is possible?

The point of this tool is to never get locked into a conclusion, so you can be open to any possibility

Have a go yourself this week if there’s an issue that’s sticking around unresolved too long,    Or just for this today, practice it.    Every time you hear yourself making a statement and drawing a conclusion, put a question mark after it and notice the shift.

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Here’s to you and new possibilities.