Whilst working and attending conferences in Asia I was constantly amazed at how many of the local delegates could talk to me at lunch in English for example and almost immediately turn and converse with their neighbour in Mandarin.
They did not seem to miss a beat in their various conversations.
In fact, if anything they seemed more capable of understanding various points of view and appreciate subtle cultural differences.
The key point here was they could switch from one language and back again – in a moment.
Not only did I marvel as this brain enhancing skill but I wondered if this switching between different languages could also be applied to thinking as well.
I asked myself, could you switch between different modes of thinking – on demand?
Could you switch from say critical thinking to creative thinking at the proverbial flick of a switch. Then switch back again.
And I wondered if you could teach people how to do this and whether like being bilingual you could learn, practice and develop this skill so that you could draw upon it when you needed it.
Through my workshops, lectures and courses I have found that it is indeed possible to switch between different modes of thinking.
I call this The 6 Switches.
Through trial and error and a dollop of imagination i found there are 6 Switches.
These are:
– Problem
– Outcome
– Perspective
– Focus
– Questions &
– Rules
I learned that switching between different modes of thinking has to be simple, easy and accessible.
And what people told me was that helping people to switch their thinking often had an immediate, dramatic impact.
I believe being able to think differently using the 6 Switches framework is the ultimate future skill.