At the PAF weekly meeting on Tuesday, October 6 first-year fellow Max Tingle facilitated a discussion on the professional development competency of perspective. His presentation included several interactive activities that got fellows and members of the advising team laughing, thinking, and reflecting.
The session began with PAFs looking at an image, deciding what they saw, and then reporting out to the group. Most of these pictures could be perceived in two ways. For instance, what looked like a portrait of on old man to some appeared as a man looking out onto a farm to others. This activity demonstrated how people might perceive the same situation differently, and that clarification can be necessary in order successfully collaborate.
The second exercise challenged us to think outside of our cultural and social perspectives. In pairs, we responded to questions prompted by a specific image. In one case we were shown an image of five interlocking rings, which all respondents associated with the Olympic games and athletic competition. We learned, however, that the Olympics initially awarded medals for arts. Through this activity the group came to understand that perspective can change over time, and that it can depend on cultural background.
Max then prompted the group to consider the opposite of perspective by asking us to think about how we have experienced parochial thinking. This was an important activity in reflecting how our own worldviews might have expanded throughout our lives.
Some suggestions for expanding our worldviews and becoming more skilled in perspective include reading something new, going on an adventure, challenging ourselves at work, thinking through issues, and improving our active listening skills.
The presentation concluded with an overview of characteristics common in people who underuse, overuse, and successfully use perspective.
To read more about perspective, check out the GW Organizational Development and Effectiveness Learn Now Guide.