| Addresses: | What we/I could do |
| Involves: | Possible Declarations, Assessments and Assertions for grounding assessments |
| Purpose: | Develop new possibilities, shift emotional state, define what might be achievable |
| Desired Outcome: | Viable options |
| Optimal Mood: | Curiosity |
Any breakdown has the potential to transform our interpretation of what is possible and expand or contract our ‘space of possibilities’. However, when we remain in descriptive conversations, what we see as possible is limited to our past experience.
Our story about a breakdown, our self-story and prior experience will orient us to initially see certain possibilities to address a breakdown. For many instances in life, this is more than enough. This is the value of habitual action, however, sometimes the actions we see are not enough to address our breakdown and take care of our concerns.
A ‘speculative conversation’ is one designed to create new possibilities taking us beyond our current view of what is possible to new horizons and possible actions and building our space of possibilities. When we have a speculative conversations with others, possibilities initially arise from the participants’ previous experiences and associated knowledge but the space of possibilities can be expanded and enriched by building on each others’ ideas.
Speculative conversations are most effectively held in a mood of curiosity. Being constructive is vital in these conversations as the purpose is to build new possibilities. Having been stuck in a story about a particular breakdown, seeing new possibilities is likely to be accompanied by a mood of ambition and a desire for renewed action.
The general flow of an effective speculative conversation involves two distinct parts:
- A period of conversation that focuses on the creation of possibilities. In this part of the conversation, it is important to put aside judgment and simply build on possibilities; and
- A period of conversation that grounds the raised possibilities such that some viable options remain.
Speculative conversations are generally free flowing rather than scripted and can be enhanced by keeping in mind a few principles:
- Seek a physical environment that is conducive with open space. If possible, choose open bright areas or go for a walk;
- Generate an emotional space to start the conversation; notably curiosity and ambition.
- Ask open rather than closed questions. A closed question is distinguished as one that promotes a yes/no response and is generally an answer disguised as a question. A negative response to such a question tends to act as a road block in the conversation;
- Keep the conversation future focused as this is about what you want to create rather than what already exists. The temporal focus provides one of the key determinants of whether you are engaged in a descriptive (past) or speculative (future) conversation;
- As much as possible, leave judgements aside. It is too easy to believe we know what a possibility might offer and then not explore the idea any further. Assessing possibilities has the same effect as closed questions and is likely to stifle conversation;
- Build on each other’s ideas. Better speculative conversations are found in mutual creation and not in an attempt to persuade others to our point of view.
Generally there are three ways we can explore new possibilities.
The first involves the ‘magic wand’ approach.“If you had a magic wand, what would it look, feel and sound like?” In asking such a question, you are inviting others to put aside perceived limitations and expand their horizons in a big way, seeing some sort of ideal outcome. Some people can do this, some cannot as they are anchored to the limitations.
A second approach involves a step by step process starting with smaller possibilities and then building on them, ultimately building a bigger space of possibilities. The idea here is when someone shifts their interpretation of a situation, it allows for the opening of other possibilities.
Finally, you can simply start throwing out ideas and see where they go. This can work but often leads to people to not following through on building ideas as a new one replaces it. The key to successfully using this approach is to retain ideas and not let them fall by the wayside.
The power of speculative conversations to generate an ambitious mood cannot be understated, yet it is a conversation often overlooked as people feel the need to leap into action; a predisposition exacerbated by the push for short-term productivity and efficiency. However, often the need to get things done quickly stems from a defensive stance and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Rather than being constructively ambitious about their actions, they are doing things to just get through tasks and the outcome over time is more likely to involve resentment, anxiety and ultimately resignation. The power of generating possibilities also brings with it a sense of growth and expansion and that life is becoming more rather than a constant repetition of our past.
Speculative conversations with others also allows for the creation of shared stories about building things together leading to stronger commitments to a shared future.
Ultimately, an effective speculative conversation produces some viable options leading to the next phase of an effective conversation; a declaration of action or decision about what to actually do.
