“How can I know what I think until I hear myself speak?” Charles Handy
It’s so easy to pass this quote by without really getting what it means.
Have you ever been stuck with a problem, asked someone for help, but found the answer yourself whilst explaining the problem?
In business, and in a coaching environment, allowing someone to speak is enabling them to think. The temptation to interrupt is often great – be it to agree, to disagree or to offer your own view.
All too often the compulsion to speak / advise is too hard to resist. If the conversation has a purpose – to fix or solve a problem, seek clarity or movement, this is at best unhelpful, and at worst a real progress blocker.
If I hadn’t experienced this first hand in myself, or facilitated it in others in a coaching session, I’m not sure I would have got it either.
Sometimes we overcomplicate. Often, we overlook the incredible power of the mind to work things out for itself. Knowing that you will be heard without interruption, as simple as it sounds is very powerful.
Have you ever experienced this, or facilitated it in others?
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