The User's Manual for the Brain Volume I
Page 42
16.29.0.120 Operate Questions:
What do you do when you prepare to decide something?
How do you know its time to try alternatives?
How do you know you have several options?
How do you generate alternatives?
What steps do you go through to decide something?
16.29.0.121 Test Questions:
How do you know when you have decided something? What criteria do you use in deciding?
How do you test your alternatives?
How do you know you prefer one option more than another?
What do you have to satisfy for you to know you have the right alternative and the time to decide?
16.29.0.122 Exit Questions:
What lets you know when you when you haven’t yet finished deciding?
How do you know when you’ve made your choice?
How do you know you’ve decided?
What lets you know you have successfully decided?
16.30 Strategy Elicitation Through Backtracking
You can elicit a strategy by simply backtracking from a recent decision. Follow this line of questioning:
“How did you know you had decided?” (Exit Question)
Sample Answers: “Well, I just felt it in my gut.” (Ki)
Or, “It was just crystal clear.” (Vc/Vr)
Or, “It just clicked in.” (Ac/Ar)
Backtrack: “What did you need to satisfy before you could decide?” (Test Question) Sample Answers: “I looked at all my options.” (Vc/Vr)
“I just wrote out all the pros and cons.” (Ac/Ar) or (Vc/Vr) or (Ke/Ki).
Backtrack: “How did you know what your options were?” (Operate Question)
Sample Answers: “I talked to a lot of people.” (Ae) “I read up on the subject.” (Ve) or (Ar/Ae)
Backtrack: “How did you know when you needed to decide something?” (Test or Trigger Question)
Sample Answers: “My boss told me to make up my mind.” (Ae)
“I could see that I was at a crossroads.” (Vc/Vr/Ve)
“I was too uncomfortable with things the way they were.” (Ki)
16.31 Potential Problems People May Have With Their Decision Strategy26
1. Problems knowing the time has arrived to decide:
a. Not enough internal dialogue saying, “This isn’t working.”
b. Not enough pictures of current situation, pictures “fuzzy”, or picture of the “road forking,” etc.
c. Internal negative K (feeling badly about current problem, or not enough association).
2. Problems generating alternatives:
a. No visual construct.
b. Constructing options but not visualizing outcomes with them.
c. Not enough options to choose from (too much “this or that”).
3. Problems evaluating alternatives:
a. Options not represented in all systems, which makes evaluation difficult.
b. No external checks to get necessary data. (Others’ responses, etc.)
c. Not enough data gathered to make good decisions.
d. Criteria not appropriate to context or not prioritized.
e. Inappropriate or irrelevant criteria chosen for making the selection.
f. Each option considered in a vacuum and not in comparison or contrast with the others.
g. Same criteria used for every type decision… too rigid and narrow.
h. Same criteria used across time for similar decisions… criteria not revised according to new data or different circumstances.
Remember the importance involved in the words chosen in structuring the questions. Poor wording can prevent you from getting the correct information instead of assisting you. Avoid moving your body or hands in a way that distracts the client instead of allowing them to go inside. Quiet observation is far more productive than talking to the subject too much. Phrase your questions well, then be silent so they can “go inside” to do the Transderivational Search necessary to come up with the information.
As you ask people to “Think of a time when…?” and you ask the various questions about their sequencing, the accessing cues become your clues as to sequencing of their strategy. The eye movements and predicates provide particularly helpful tools. These “beamers” will tell you the order in which the representation systems happen. For instance, in a three part V-A-K strategy, you should be able to see (usually), three distinct eye movements. Cycling through the strategy may take some time for some people and only a second or two for others.
Eliciting strategies takes a lot of practice. However, it becomes easier after you have been doing it for a while. If you feel a little overwhelmed in the exercises, that’s OK. You may find it easy to elicit strategies; help someone who finds it difficult.
16.32 Pointers In Elicitation
Use all the cues you get during elicitation.
Use repetition, that is, check them out.
Notice the non-verbal cues, specifically eye patterns and gestures.
Go for information in all rep systems.
Pay attention to the non-verbal information, such as marking out, tonality, etc.
Be sure to watch and listen for a strategy rather than installing one.
Use-counter examples (i.e. say something that you know they will disagree with, and check if they disagree) to help avoid installing anything.
Check for logical sequence.
Pay close attention: Does the person answer the question you ask? Keep asking it until you get the answer.
Write down what you get only after you are sure you have it.
How much detailed (content) information you obtain has little importance. You want to gather process/structure information.
Seek contrast, i.e. “Did you do anything else?”
16.33 Exercises
16.33.0.123 I. The Spelling Strategy
4 person group—1 hour
“A” serves as the teacher. “B” and “C” role play as students. “D” serves as the Meta-person. “A” asks “B” and “C” which one considers themselves good or poor spellers.
“A” with “D’s” assistance determines the eye patterns for “B” and “C.” “B” and “C” may volunteer this information.
Begin with the better speller, “B” or “C.” You may need to test this out by asking for the spelling of several words. As you do, notice closely that “B” and “C” will demonstrate everything (eye patterns, predicate usage) you’ll be asking for later.
“A” asks “B” (the better speller) what happens in their head when someone ask them to spell a word. You have a choice here of two ways to proceed. (1) “A” asks “B” to go back to a time when they were spelling a difficult word. (2) Or, “A” just asks “B” to spell some difficult words like “phenomenology,” “psychoneurology,” “triglyceride” or “caterwaul.” “B” will demonstrate the operate phase of their strategy.
Note: You already know when the TOTE begins for spelling. It begins with the Ae (The word called out by the teacher in the classroom). It would begin with Ai for someone writing.
If “B” can describe for you what they do as they do it, you will have both observation and their understanding. Trust your observation in preference to their understanding. They may not know what they actually do. What they do and what they say they do may very well provide contradictory information. Always believe non-verbal over verbal feedback.
Ask “B” to repeat the spelling several times. You may wish to have “B” do this with several different words.
“A” and “D” collaborate. Did they see and hear the same things (eye movements, predicates, and other “beamers”)? Once you agree on what the strategy seems to be, ask the following questions to yourself:
a. At what point does the strategy begin? (Test) With spelling it will start with the hearing of the word. In other strategies it may start with something else.
b. What steps constitute the Operation phase? Does it seem to function logically? Do
es the strategy make sense to you? Would this strategy work for most people? “A” may need to question “B” to insure they have the correct strategy.
For instance, after they hear the word to be spelled, what do they then do? All the best spellers seem to: Ae (hear the word); Vir (remember how they saw it before); K (familiarity or not).
c. What makes up the second Test? For most good spellers it will usually be another K which tells the person that they spelled the word correctly.
d.Finally, what provides the Exit? It might consist of Aid-“Go for it”, or “That’s it.” One good speller didn’t exit until the word takes on a red glow in his mental imagery (Vi).
6. Now “A” does the same for “C” (the poorer speller).
7. “A” compares the strategies. You already know whose strategy works better. Now see if you can determine why. Does “C” leave out some necessary step… or add some unnecessary or confusing ones? Some very poor spellers will leave out a whole modality or will get caught in a “loop.” (Example: Spelling purely auditorily, one might try to spell the word, feel bad, say “No, that doesn’t sound right,” try again, etc.)
8. After figuring out where and why “C’s” strategy doesn’t work, have them try “B’s” strategy to see how it works for them. Try it yourself. Even though we allow for different ways of accomplishing things, and even while there’s not just one way to do things, some universals usually exist. If something works very well for one person, it will probably work at least fairly well for others as well.
9. When “C” feels good about the new strategy, anchor and future pace.
10. Round robin
16.33.0.124 II. Decision Strategy
3 Person Group—1 hour
“A” asks “B” to pick a specific decision they made. Have “B” choose a fairly simple decision, such as deciding what to wear today, or, choosing what to eat for lunch, or for dinner that evening. (“A” observes “B” closely as “B” decides on a decision. “A” may very well see a quick demonstration of “B’s” decision strategy.)
“A” assists “B” in going back (associated) into the decision-making moment. “B” doesn’t just recall the event but actually associates into the time of the decision.
Note: “A,” in helping “B,” will find it helpful to use the present tense to pace “B’s” being in the decision process. Example: “And as you look at the menu to begin selecting dinner, what do you do then?” At each step, if you “feed forward,” you ask the question, “And, now what do you do?” Their response will usually elicit their next step in the deciding process. To “Backtrack” you would ask: “And, what did you do just before you gave the waiter your order?” or “How did you know to give the waiter your order?”
As “A” proceeds with the elicitation, make notes. Watch eye cues. Listen for predicates (all “beamers”). Pick out the key elements of the TOTE by using the Test, Operate, Text, Exit questions given below.
Note: “A” decides ahead of time which single question to ask “B.” Do not ask all the questions at once. Ask one question and observe and listen to “B.” If that question does not elicit “B’s” strategy, then go to the next question under each heading of the TOTE.
First Test:
How do you know to begin deciding? (or that it is time to decide?)
Where were you when you decided?
What is the first thing that lets you know to decide?
What is the first thing you do to decide?
Operate:
How do you gather data and/or generate alternatives?
How do you know you have choices?
How do you know it is time to try thinking of new alternatives?
How do you know you have several options?
What steps do you go through to decide something?
Second Test:
How do you test your alternatives?
How do you know whether you like or dislike an option?
How do you know that you prefer one option to another?
What do you have to satisfy for yourself to know you have the right alternative?
Exit:
How do you know you’ve decided?
How do you know the time to choose has arrived?
How do you know you have not decided?
What let’s you know you are not yet through deciding?
Note: In any decision process you need several things:
A trigger or tip-off that it’s time to decide.
A way to think about the possible alternatives.
A way to test or evaluate the choices.
A way to make your final selection of your alternatives.
4. Have “B” run through a few other simple decisions made recently and notice the strategy. It should match your previous discoveries. You might consider having them run through a decision non-verbally with you watching just the “beamers.”
5. Round robin
6. Experiment with someone else’s strategy. If it works well for them, does it work for you? If they have trouble with decisions, do you become indecisive using their strategy? What might be a needed additional step (or deleted step) to enhance their strategy? Discuss it fully, then have them try it.
16.33.0.125 III. Motivation Strategy
3 Person Group—1 hour
“A” asks “B” to pick something about which they were very well motivated and were successful. Get specific information about what, when, where.
“A” assists “B” in re-experiencing that motivation.
“A” elicits “B’s” motivation strategy.
First test:
How do you know it is time to motivate yourself?
What must you do first to motivate yourself?
What experience lets you know that you are motivated?
Operate:
What steps do you go through to motivate yourself?
How do you go through the alternatives of being motivated a lot, some, not so much, not at all?
Second test:
What criteria do you utilize for picking an alternative or different level of motivation?
What do you have to satisfy for you to know its time to be motivated?
Exit:
How do you know you’re motivated?
4. Test your work. “A” picks any trivial behavior that “B” can do ecologically (stand up, cross room, pick up a book, etc.) and runs it through the motivation strategy. For example: Say “B’s” motivation strategy looks like this: Vic→Aid→K (See the job completed, say to self, “Boy, I’ll be glad to get that over with,” and feel pleased. Then “B” does the activity.) So now “A” will say to “B”, “Please look at that book over there and imagine that you’re picking it up. Say to yourself, ‘Gee, I’m really doing this well’, and imagine feeling extremely pleased about picking it up, as you proceed to do so.”
5. Round robin
16.33.0.126 IV. Learning Strategy
3 Person Group—1 hour
“B” picks a time when they learned something well and easily.
“A” assists “B” in fully accessing this associated experience. (As “B” does this, “A” anchors the good feeling that comes from this successful learning experience.)
“A” elicits “B’s” strategy:
First test:
How do you know the time has arrived to learn something?
What do you need to think or do to know you have opened up for learning?
How do you know the opportunity to learn something has arrived?
Operate:
What steps do you go through to actively and effectively learn?
What smaller steps do you utilize in learning effectively?
How do you know what things to do to learn?
Second test:
What must you satisfy to know you are learning?
How do you know you actually experience learning?
What kind of comparisons do you use to measure your learning?
What serve
s as proof to you that you have learned something?
Exit:
How do you know when learning has taken place?
How do you know when this particular learning has finished?
4. Round robin
5. Try out someone else’s learning strategy to discover how it works for you.
Note: Good learning strategies have several common components:27
The person has good, positive feelings about learning.
For example: excitement, eagerness, willingness, etc. These feelings can result from Vc (seeing self learning, growing, etc.), or Aid “Isn’t this exciting. I can learn this. I want to know this.” A good learning strategy will have some motivation in it.
The person avoids feelings of being overloaded or overwhelmed by chunking down the whole task. One way to do this involves having an (Aid) component that says, “How can I divide this up into pieces I can manage,” or a series of pictures of smaller pieces (Vc). Thus a learning strategy will contain a little bit of a decision strategy.
In addition, good learners understand that confusion is usually a part of the learning process. “Not knowing” means the data has not yet been fully sorted out. Good learners expect to experience confusion sometimes. However, unlike poor learners who get stuck inside battling the confusion, good learners just set the confused material aside for a while and get ready for the next piece or chunk of data. The poor learner “feels bad” about what he doesn’t understand. Good learners feel excited or fascinated or challenged about what they yet have to learn.