How to Listen So People Can Think

Equality

Regarding each other as thinking peers, giving equal time to think

Even in a hierarchy people can be equal as thinkers. 

In a Thinking Environment everyone is valued equally as a thinker. Everyone gets a turn to think out loud and a turn to give attention. To know you will get your turn to speak makes your attention more genuine and relaxed. It also makes your speaking more succinct.

Equality keeps the talkative people from silencing the quiet ones. And it requires the quiet ones to contribute their own thinking. The result is high quality ideas and decisions.

— TimeToThink.com

In Practice

"Equality" is easy to say, but how do you make it lived reality? 
The structures of a Thinking Environment make it happen.

See 'In Practice – Do a Round' and 'Dialogue' under Meetings and Groups, and Thinking Pairs under One person thinking.
 'How to Listen so People Can Think', especially pp. 51-88. Thinking Pairs and Dialogue.
Interrelated components

Equality, Attention and Ease

Each component of a Thinking Environment can impact the presence of any of the others.
For example, knowing that you will have your turn engenders Ease, and
allows you to focus on the person currently thinking (Attention) and their
ideas, instead of wasting your energy on trying to figure out
how to wedge your way into the conversation to make your
voice heard. 

Spot the missing component

To create a full Thinking Environment, all components need to be present. When the Thinking Environment is not what it should be, here are some things to look out for when it comes to Equality.

  • Is everyone being given the opportunity to think?

  • Is everyone using that opportunity? If not, are some people repeatedly deciding to stay silent?

  • Is everyone being given the same high-quality, interested attention?

If Equality is not fully present, how can you restore it? Do participants have the information they need about Equality? Are participants assuming something that is stopping them (see Incisive Questions)? Is there sufficient Appreciation? If one or more of the other components are missing, this may stop people contributing their thinking.