InSight Framework for Better Results

Love in a Cup

How cool is this- drinking tea and ‘feelin’ the love’! How did this happen- liquid holds no shape… but guess what, not only the saucer is heart-shaped, but so is the cup. So the heart shape of the cup holds the tea as heart-shaped.

 In the same way, information makes its way into our brains through the portals of our senses, and is then shaped both by our vantage point, or perspective, and by our perception. The same information coming into two people’s brains will have filtered through several layers of processing before a thought or feeling even hits their mind. And it will appear different to both based on their filtering. In turn, once the information inputs hit the brain and cause either a thought first then a feeling, or a feeling leading to a thought, each person will interpret the information their own way. It will appear ‘true ‘ to them, based on their own filtering. And then, they will act on that information, maybe with the same actions, maybe different. An outsider mlight see two people behaving the same and wrongly assume they have the same motivtion or intention. We just can’t tell what someone is thinking, we can only see the outward behaviors.  The above process explains the InSight Framework, moving you from an outside encounter – an event or information, to your perspective and perception of that event or information. You have feelings or thoughts which you interpret in order to make sense of them for yourself. Then you may take action based on your interpretations.

How we perceive something influences how we behave (and learn) in relation to that.  And the quickest, cheapest route to behavior modification (and real learning) is to help people expand or change their perception. And the quickest way to do that is through thinking tools; just like the InSight Frames you’ve been learning and practicing.

Suppose your girlfriend keeps arriving late to work. As a colleague, your perspective of her actions is quite different than if you were her co-worker or boss. Your perception, because you know her habits, may be that she’s spending too much time at the coffee shop before arriving. So it worries you (feelings) and makes you think to tell her she needs to change her routine at risk of losing her job.

If you are her boss, your perspective may be that she is abusing her role and your apparent easy-going manner, so you think she’s manipulating you (thoughts) and that makes you angry (feelings). So you end up reprimanding her and demanding she change her habit of tardiness, or else.

See how a shift of perspective and perception can change the whole flow of thoughts leading to your actions?

Where the InSight Frames tools comes in is in exploring deeper or wider aspects of the thinking focus, relative to the purpose for which you are thinking about it. You knowingly take a variety of perspectives or perceptions at an early phase of the thinking process to optimize your chances of responding most effectively (or learning, if the information is meant for that purpose).

I will recap the 10 InSight Frames for you next. Try practicing them one at a time until you are comfortable then mix and match them in an exercise of Design Thinking.