Empathy before action using the Ladder of Inference

“Think before you act,” is an age-old piece of advice given to prevent impulsive thought-to-action. How humans observe, process, and respond to interpersonal events is complicated.

The Ladder of Inference (LOI), created by organizational psychologist Chris Argyris, explains the unconscious steps an individual gets from a fact to an action.

In a fraction of a second a person can experience an event and apply layers of personal assumptions, biases, and beliefs to influence their actions. This concept of what is going on in our head is called a “mental model”. All people have mental models that shape our decisions, and models can change based on context. Mental models shape our decisions and actions.

Awareness that each human has a mental model and shares the same thinking process is a great equalizer. Active application of the Ladder of Inference can foster empathy-driven behaviors.

In this session, we will cover:
* What is the Ladder of Inference?
* Why is it important?
* How is it used?
* What is in it for me?
* Real-life examples.