Helping our brains, join the DOTs

I am pretty sure you have heard of unconscious bias. Those models we carry in our heads that shape our thinking and actions.

They are a way for our brain to make sense of the world without overwhelming us. And while they work for us, they can also work against us.

And though I try to stay vigilant for unhelpful unconscious models of the way the world is, I also carry a lot of helpful models in my brain. Ideas that help me navigate lots of situations.

I love models and frameworks.

Last week, a friend was facilitating a session, and it was suggested to start a performance conversation with some small talk. Someone asked, what sort of thing? Now, that isn't a question I would have been ready for. I sort of just assume people know this. But she had a very handy framework that put this participants mind at ease - WWF. Whether you see that as the World Wildlife Fund or World Federation Wrestling, its easy to recall.

She shared that ONE THING she has found helpful was to start with Weather, then move on to Work and finally to Family - and do it in that order. Now if small talk is something you struggle with, this little acronym will certainly help you build some confidence until you get better at and more relaxed with those social conversations.

I share a model, idea or framework in an online session that I find has been pretty useful in my work-life. Something I find myself telling other people. I call these "Join the DOTs" which stands for Do ONE THING session. Why not join for the next one and be conscious about popping some models into your brain that might make your work-life a bit simpler.

Check out what's coming up in Join the DOTs here: https://www.gaylesmerdon.com/events2022