Noticing Your Impact: Introduction

The goal of noticing is to observe without judgment, analysis or thought. 

Taking time to notice what you are experiencing in the present moment is a basic and fundamental dialogue skill. We are reminded to take a deep breath and to pay attention to all of our senses before we begin to engage in any important conversation. Quieting the mind and being anchored to our inner resources makes it possible to stay calm in the eye of the storm - even in the most difficult conversations.

The following questions can help us to be more open and aware in a dialogue:

• What is the temperature?
• How bright is the lighting?
• Are my hands cold?
• Are my feet warm?
• What do I smell?
• Do I notice random thoughts floating through my mind?
• Am I feeling any specific emotions?
• Am I feeling relaxed or tense?
• How does it feel to be supported by my chair?
• What sounds can I hear?

Notice Your Impact

We will continue our review of the seven practices that serve as a "mindfulness checklist."  The Dialogue Skills are the work of organizational psychologist Chris Argyris and his colleagues. Building on our own "noticing," we will focus on Practice #6: Notice your own impact on a situation. Argyris invites us to Notice and check out the possible ways in which our different roles or communication styles affect the dialogue process. Sometimes we communicate with others as though we all share the same map—and the same world—and we don't slow down and look at how our mental models and mental maps are influencing our own thinking or impacting the experience of others. We invite you to take time over the next few days to slow down, reflect, and notice your impact -- or the impact that others may have -- on a situation.