This document discusses the concept of the "ladder of inference", which describes the cognitive process by which people draw conclusions from available data. It explains that people tend to draw inferences unconsciously and automatically based on their own mental models, experiences, and biases. This can lead to inaccurate conclusions if higher rungs of the ladder such as assumptions and beliefs are not checked consciously. The ladder of inference is presented as a tool to increase awareness of one's own thinking and perspective, improve communication, and make informed decisions.

1. LADDER
of
INFERENCE
Climbing
a
Different
Kind
of
Ladder
1
Presented
by
Sylvia
Gaffney,
Ph.D.

2. 2
✓ Improve
communica>on
✓ Reach
agreement
or
advance
resolu>on
✓ Arrive
at
new
possibili>es
✓ Learn
from
another’s
perspec>ve
✓ Allow
for
mul>ple
voices
✓ Understand
resistance
to
change
✓ Surface
outdated
assump>ons
✓ Understand
the
logic
behind
recommenda>ons
Why
the
Ladder?
ü Facilitate
conflict
solu>ons
ü Improve
team
interac>on
ü Open
for
diverse
opinions
ü Prevent
overreac>on
ü Understand
your
immediate
response
to
a
situa>on
ü Uncover
own
&
other
biases
ü Unearth
reasoning
&
origin
of
your
assump>ons
ü Surface
and
test
your
thinking
before
you
discuss
a
topic

3. Frequently
Climb
in
Organiza>ons
✦
Unconscious
✦
Automa-c
✦
Inaccurate
or
incomplete
info
Has
everything
to
do
with
jumping
to
conclusions
Has
li<le
to
do
with
moving
up
in
status
or
posi-on
3

4. Opera>ng
on
Auto
Pilot
Good
for
breathing,
diges-ng
food,
word
processing
&
driving
Not
so
good
when
ac-ng
or
speaking
without
thinking
Automa-c
Reasoning
Processes
✦ Our
brains
are
absorbing
tons
of
data
4

5. Mental
Models
✦ Lens
we
use
to
see
the
world
✦ Saves
-me
based
on
past
experiences
✦ Able
to
quickly
make
sense
and
categorize
✦ Important
because
they
unconsciously
influence
what
we
see
and
how
we
act
Unconscious
&
deeply
held
images
or
pictures
of
how
the
world
works
for
us
5

6. Ladder
as
a
Good
Metaphor
Ladder
is
a
useful
piece
of
equipment
that
allows
us
to
climb
UP
and
DOWN
–
and,
easily
access
places
we
wouldn’t
reach
without
it
Ladder
is
grounded
and
when
used
in
a
safe
environment
does
the
job
it’s
needed
and
intended
to
do
6

7. Meaning
of
Inference
Draw
conclusions
from
facts
we
already
know
and
have
in
our
head
✓ Hear
the
tone
✓ See
the
body
language
✓ Consider
the
culture
✓ Know
the
expecta>ons
Given
this.
.
.
then
that
.
.
.
Using
CLUES
to
figure
something
out
7

8. Basic
Concept
of
the
Ladder
✦ Guides
us
in
making
sense
of
our
own
thinking
✦ Guides
us
to
be<er
understanding
of
the
thinking
of
others
Helps
us
bring
our
thinking
to
conscious
awareness
as
we
are
constantly
bombarded
with
massive
amounts
of
info
8

9. Communica>on
Considera>ons
“The
single
biggest
problem
in
communica=on
is
the
illusion
that
it
has
taken
place.”
George
Bernard
Shaw
9

10. Different
Interpreta>ons
and
Responses
are
Evident
✦
Past
experiences
✦
Beliefs
✦
Level
of
awareness
✦
Mo-vators
✦
Social
iden-ty
✦
Personal
iden-ty
Determines
what
we
see,
hear,
how
we
behave,
AND,
what
we
select
to
pay
a<en-on
to
next
THINK:
car,
dog,
house,
tree,
power,
quality,
valued,
diverse
10

11. Jargon
and
Acronyms
Company
specific
lingo
&
language
–
works
as
a
shortcut
in
communica-ng
Ambiguous
‘blinking’
words
–
causes
confusion
because
of
many
possible
or
different
interpreta-ons
✦ Conscious
of
language
✦ Confirm
shared
meanings
✦ Consider
person
and
context
11

12. Emo>onally
Charged
Triggers
✦ Topics
✦ Words
✦ Phrases
✦ People
✦ Events
✦ Situa-ons
✦ and
more…
What
causes
you
to
move
rapidly
up
the
ladder
without
ever
checking
your
thinking
process?
✓ Take
>me
to
pause
&
reflect
✓ Surface
the
triggers
✓ Be
aware
of
their
poten>al
to
derail
your
thinking
&
behavior
12

13. Automa>c
–
Unconscious
–
Rapid
Data
=
Anything
that
can
be
observed,
read,
heard
or
experienced
Lots
happening
in
a
well
laid-­‐
out
sequence
from
the
point
of
observing
data
to
when
we
actually
take
ac;on
13

14. Ladder
of
Inference
Observe
Data
14
Observe
Data

15. Ladder
of
Inference
Observe
from
a
pool
of
all
available
Data
Screen
Data
15
Screen
Data

16. Ladder
of
Inference
Observe
from
a
pool
of
all
available
Data
Screen
Data
Select
Filtered
Data
16
Select

17. Ladder
of
Inference
Observe
from
a
pool
of
all
available
Data
Screen
Data
Select
Filtered
Data
Add
Meaning
17
Add
Meaning

18. Ladder
of
Inference
Observe
from
a
pool
of
all
available
Data
Screen
Data
Take
Ac>on
Select
Filtered
Data
Add
Meaning
Make
Assump>ons,
Draw
Conclusions
&
Adopt
Beliefs
18

19. We
Don’t
Even
No>ce
“The
range
of
what
we
think
and
do
is
limited
by
what
we
fail
to
no=ce.
And,
because
we
fail
to
no=ce
that
we
fail
to
no=ce
-­‐
there
is
liEle
we
can
do
to
change...
un=l
we
no=ce
how
failing
to
no=ce
shapes
our
thoughts
and
deeds.”
R.D.
Laing
19

20. For
More
Informa>on
OPTIMIZE
Central
sylvia@gaffney.com
www.gaffney.com
20
Sylvia
provides
custom-­‐designed
consul-ng
services
in
organiza-onal
effec-veness
and
change
managements
assistance
to
companies
on
a
na-onal
and
interna-onal
basis.
Her
work
helps
companies
integrate
their
business
planning
through
a
systems
perspec-ve.
She
facilitates
processes
to
improve
team
building
and
blending,
leadership
development,
intergenera-onal
challenges,
cultural
change
issues,
resilience,
strategic
reten-on,
and
strategic
staffing.
Sylvia
owns
and
operates
Gaffney
Corporate
Strategies
and
Op;mize
Central.
Presented
by
Sylvia
Gaffney,
Ph.D.