Try This: Question the Assumption

🏃🏾‍♂️Try This

This upcoming week, set aside 10 minutes with a journal to practice Question the Assumption. You can also do this in a conversation with a friend!

1. Start with a relational issue you’re facing (if you’re in a group, give the speaker your full presence while they state the problem)

A relational issue could be something like:

• My co-founder and I disagree on the direction of the company. I want to focus on product development while they want to prioritize sales and marketing.

• My partner never wants to go out and socialize with my friends.

• "My coworker always interrupts me during team meetings, and it's really frustrating."

Note: This exercise isn’t the best fit for issues that you have unprocessed trauma around.

Giving presence means: Taking a few seconds to turn your phone on Airplane Mode, turning off notifications on your computer, or moving to a private place where you won’t have distractions.

2. Identify an assumption underlying the issue

For example, with the issue: My co-founder and I disagree on the direction of the company. I want to focus on product development, while they want to prioritize sales and marketing.

An underlying assumption is: One approach (product development or sales/marketing) is inherently better or more important for the company's success at this stage.

3. Think of a neutral, curious question that challenges that assumption

For example, a curious question could be: How might you create a strategy that balances both product development and sales/marketing efforts to drive company growth?

Or: What insights from each of your perspectives could complement each other?"

Questioning assumptions is like putting on a new pair of glasses – suddenly, you see the world differently. Remember, the goal isn't to prove assumptions wrong but to open up our thinking and discover new possibilities.

📆 Join Us IRL

Want to practice this? Curious about meeting cool people? Come to an upcoming A² event!

📫 Subscribing to our calendar is the easiest way to get notified of upcoming events!