Notes for Delta ST Self-Dualizing
De Bono's tools are intended to direct your attention to beyond your normal pattern repertoire. The tools are meant to broaden your perceptions, and perhaps even help change them.
Base Ne types tend to easily jump from pattern to pattern. They spend their lives building up a repertoire of patterns from which to draw from. These pattern repertoires allow them to be aware that for a given situation, there could be a few variations or patterns in effect.
For someone trying to build up their Ne, I would recommend narrowing the practicings of the following tools into situations and contexts that are currently happening, and/or important to the person.
* For 1D Ne (5th/4th), the goal is to build up a couple of rules to use within those contexts.
* For 2D Ne (6th/3rd), the goal is to use the rules/practices so often that they feel almost natural within that narrow range of contexts/situations.
(Please note: I ordered and phrased things with the intent of helping a Delta ST learn to 'dualize themself'. Some of these tools might be useful to other types who wish to increase their capacity of dealing with Ne+Fi info.)
(Also note: When brainstorming lists, alternatives, etc, instead of judging each one while listing, think instead "Yes, and..." to help you keep that option AND add more, rather than editing something out.)
I. The first goal is to learn to
objectively explore subjects, situations, TPE, etc.
So pick a topic/situation and give these a try, preferably in order. Oh, and feel free to ask a trusted friend to join you in this process. (Be sure to share and discuss the answers afterwards, and add them onto your list where you feel it would fit best.)
PMI - Plus, Minus, Interesting
1. List the good points about the topic/situation. Now list 5 more. Now list 3 more. Really push to look for them. Remember, you're trying to direct your attention to look beyond your normal patterns.
2. List the bad points about it. Now list 5 more. Now list 3 more, as with the good points.
3. Now list what you find interesting about the topic/situation. Perhaps fill in the blank: "It would be interesting if...." Listing Interesting points trains the mind to react to the interest inherent in an idea, and not just the judgment feelings about the idea. Such that for this topic/situation, you could respond with "I do not like your idea, but there are these interesting aspects to it..." Now add 5 more.
Use: Use this tool regularly to help build the habit of looking beyond what you normally would look at. Especially use this tool when you have no doubt about a situation, and/or you have instantly formed a judgment.
APC - Alternatives, Possibilties, Choices (Brainstorming)
The purpose of brainstorming is to make deliberate effort to generate alternatives, possibilities, and alternative choices. As with other brainstorming methods, suspension of judgment is encouraged!!
You can use APC in these types of situations.
Explainations: What possible explanations might there be for [] behavior?
Hypothesis: List alternative hypothesis of WHY something might be.
Perception: How else can you look at a project?
Problems: How might the problem defined? What other solutions might solve the problem? How might you approach a problem/solution?
Review: Find an alternative way to simplify a process, increase effectiveness, and/or increase productivity.
Design: How many ways can you think of to design something?
Decision: Brainstorm alternatives to choices already presented. What other choices might be available?
Course of Action: What courses of actions would open up if you did [action]? What CoAs might open up from that CoA?
Forecasting: What possible future scenarios might occur?
Also:*Negotiation,*Communication,*Opportunity Search,*Investments,*Planning,*Etc
Get used to saying "Time to do an APC."
There are some practicality considerations of using APC
1) There is no way of telling that the first answer to a situation is the best one until at least some effort has been made to find other answers. So even if you are confident that one answer is THE answer, still brainstorm other possible answers. You may be surprised at what you find.
2) Brainstorming may create a web of indecision. I see this as being more of a problem for NeFi than other Delta members. If you begin to run into issues regarding being unable to decide between the available choices you listed, then either figure out some guidelines for deciding (importance/values) or check out this book as it includes a few different ways of choosing.
II. The second goal is to
build up associations...linkages between the seemingly random. Initially you are deliberately doing this. But the more you deliberately do this, the more it will spontaneously occur as these new pathways strengthen.
Object/Word Groupings
Take 8 random objects/words: In how many ways could you divide them into 2 groups of 4 objects/words each? Now figure out 3 more ways to group/divide them.
This tool helps you build up associations by both lumping things together, and splitting things up, based on some "random" criteria. You'll learn to look at objects/words/whatever and attend more to some of the attributes of it. It's these attributes that will help you create connections between the items/words/whatever.
Situational Groupings
1. List 8 random situations (what you have experience with, or what someone you know has experience with).
2. Just like in the Object/Word Groupings tool, Figure out how many ways you can divide these situations into 2 groups of 4 situations each. Now figure out 3 more ways to group/divide them.
Random Stimulation
1. Pick a random object/word.
2. What associations do you have with this object/word?
3. How might this object/word be associated to a situation? an idea? a TPE? (thing, person, event)
Note: This can easily be done when you're bored, at a check out lane, etc.
III. The third goal towards Delta ST 'dualizing oneself' is to
add in some Delta Fi. Here you will learn to make use of the patterns and skills obtained from above, and apply them in interactions dealing with Values and Points of Views (POV).
Usually interactions dealing with Values/POVs wind up using the Clash Method, where the participants attack/defend ideas. The focus is on, Who's right? Not on, How can we resolve our disagreements?
Instead, De Bono encourages what he calls "Exletics". This refers to pulling out of the situation what is of value -- no matter on which side it is to be found. This encourages the participants to deal with the "terrain" of the situation, not on One True Whatever. The added benefit of these tools is that looking at something through someone else's eyes will influence your own perceptions of the situation, as well as your own judgments about the situation.
1. EBS - Examine Both Sides
From the interaction, pull out what each POV is taking into consideration. What values, resources, experiences, obstacles, limitations, etc are they drawing from.
This is the "terrain" over which the participants are interacting through.
2. ADI - Agreement, Disagreement, Irrelevance
a) Compare the 2(+) EBS terrain maps. Note the areas of agreements between them.
b) Note the areas of disagreements.
c) Note the areas of irrelevance. Set these aside as you will now be focusing on a) & b)
d) Using what you all agree on, brainstorm ways in which you all can design a way around the disagreements.
OPV - Other People's Views
Values are the links between Events and basic Emotions.
Value Bubbles (Understanding what's leading to a person's actions/decisions.)
What are the actual circumstances surrounding a person? This is the objective data involved in the circumstance. Replace any Value-ladened terms with terms that are more neutral. (ex. "Joe murdered Bob." The term "murder" is a value laden word meaning "wrongful killing". Replace it with "killed"...Joe killed Bob.) Think news story.
What are the person's perceptions of the situation? This is where the Values come in. Sarah, our person, thinks killing is wrong, and those who kill others are bad people. As such, she perceives Joe as being a bad person for killing Bob. AND, that Bob's death was wrongful. Basically, here you are getting their attractions/repulsions about the objective data involved in the circumstance.
It helps if this is done in a mind map way. Place the person in the middle. Then the components of the circumstance leading off the middle. Then insert the values between the person and the circumstances. (maybe use ++ for very attracted to this component, + for attracted, 0 for neutral, - for repelled/upset by it, -- for very repelled/upset by it. OR maybe highlight red for repulsion and green for attraction.)
Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
1. For a given situation, Identify the people involved.
2. Build a Vaue Bubble for each person. It really helps to expand this by including what the person finds interesting about a situation. (Their PMI.)
3. Imagine what it might be like to have their values, and see the situation through the lens of those values. How would those values influence your decisions, your actions? How might they alter your perceptions of a situation?
HV/LV - High Values / Low Values
For a Value Bubble, determine which of the values are High Values. These are the ones that determine actions (what to do).
For the same Value Bubble, determine which of the values are Low Values. These are the ones which have to be taken into account, but don't determine actions, just the flavor of the action (how to do it).
Practicing HV/LV forces you to look carefully at the values involved in a situation. And may even help you decide what to do about a situation, and how to do it, in such a way as to consider the other people involved in that situation. (which is what a Delta NF would be offering to a Delta ST)