Social Sensemaking – Auckland Workshop – 14 May 2018

So What is Social Sensemaking?

As author Rob Sams notes, the book and the idea itself of ‘sensemaking’, was born from a search for a more humanistic approach and methodology to supporting people to deal with risk. That is because to make sense of risk, we need to commune and converse with others; that is, it is a social activity.

The book is a collaboration of stories and experiences in how we make sense of decisions and judgments; particularly about risk. It questions the traditional controlling and dictating methods that can be too easily adopted by the Risk, Safety and HR fields, and offers ideas that are more ‘humanising’.

So what can you expect in this Workshop?

In this practical and interactive presentation, we take participants through a number of the tools presented in the book including ‘One Brain Three Minds’©*, the ‘Trade-offs’ model© and the ‘Decision Tree’©.

We also share some of the challenges of moving toward a more holistic understanding and application of risk in the workplace. This includes how we’ve dealt with our own cognitive dissonance after many years of practicing the traditional approach that was focused on control, rather than understanding and supporting people so that they may better discern risk for themselves.

Program Outline

The presentation is broken into three sections, including:

1. Better understanding our Self in order to understand (and communicate with) others

• Our different perceptions – how we all ‘think’ differently
• Tools and Models to better understand ‘sensemaking’ including One Brain Three Minds©* – a model to decision making (introducing the conscious and non-conscious in decision making), the Decision Tree© and the Trade Offs Model©.
• Personality Types – a short introduction to the Jungian Four Temperament types and why these matter in communication. This will be a very practical introduction rather than one based solely on theory.

2. The role of the non-conscious in communication.

• Tackling a ‘Telling’ Society- the gentle art of asking more and telling less
• Being aware of our own agenda ‘Suspending’ our own agenda
• Understanding why this is so hard – what is it about our society that makes listening challenging and telling easy?

3. Making Sense of Risk – a Social Perspective

• We are social beings, what role does this play in communication?
• How we make sense of things through interacting and conversing with others

The Workshop will provide practical, interactive and hands on experiences to embed learning. This will include providing models and tools for participants to ‘take-away’ and apply in their work environment.

Take-aways and Tools

Everyone attending the Workshop will recieve a copy of Social Sensemaking along with the various tools and models noted above.

Book Your Place

*used with permission Dr Robert Long