Conversations and decisions are omnipresent in all our personal and business activities. The challenge for software services solution engineers is to create an environment for conversations that allows participants/actors to take right and smart decisions. How we make sense of signals is determined by a variety of context aspects. The presentation offers a condensed overview of the sense making spectrum. The reader is challenged to create a story that illustrates how she/he has perceived and interpreted the context elements of this spectrum.

1. Conversations and decisions
in the sense making spectrum
probatio pennae
Thei Geurts, 2014

2. Introduction
• Conversations and decisions are omnipresent in all our personal and
business activities. Humans take about 20.000 snap decisions per day
according to brain scientist Ernst Pöppel.
• The challenge for software services solution engineers is to create
an environment for conversations that allows participants/actors to
take right and smart decisions.
(BTW: This also implies that they must offer room for serendipity,
if-where-when needed.)
• How we make sense of signals is determined by a variety of context
aspects. The next slide offers a condensed overview of the sense
making spectrum.
• The slide is not exhaustive. It is a first attempt or exercise, a
probatio pennae, that needs input to be completed.

3. Language
Behaviour
Cognition
Social context
Perceptions
Feelings
Emotional context
Understanding
Interpretation
Requirements
AnswersContext
Questions
Rational context
about
toin
Contracts
based on
driven
by Values
People Systems
Conversations
Decisions
lead to
have
Participants
Concerns
Events
Effect context
drives
Actions Outcome
Result context
lead to leads to
Meaning context
drives shapes
Needs
(I am / I want)
Need context
triggersexpress
based on
and
Sense making spectrum
probatio pennae by Thei Geurts, 2014

4. Challenge: create a story
• Instead of imposing my interpretation and connotation of the
elements of this spectrum I would like to challenge you – yes you
reader – directly. My question to you is as follows:
“Can you create a story, based on (a set of) these context
elements, that illustrates how you have perceived and
interpreted the previous sheet?
• Your contribution may be more of a scientific or operational nature,
or as simple and direct as the story of the little prince that is
pictured on the cover slide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince
• Your contribution is much appreciated.

5. Post your story
Please, post your contribution to slideshare, with a reference to this
presentation, or to me directly.
Thanks in advance.
mailto: Thei Geurts
Linkedin: nl.linkedin.com/in/theigeurts/