Reframing

‘Facts have to be discovered by observation not reasoning’ – Bertrand Russell 

 

Attending a medical lecture the other day, (Professor Anton Emmanuel: the Sir Arthur Hurst Lecture 2024) I was reminded of this quote from Bertrand Russell: ‘facts have to be discovered by observation not reasoning’. It was good to see philosophy and science being showcased in the same lecture, which returned again and again to the theme of the value of observed differences informing the scientist. So too in clinical practice we observe clinical signs and examine for physical evidence of disease in order to create starting points of enquiry.

 

This lecture prompted me to connect the parallels between scientific observation and effective coaching. Effective coaching relies on the willingness of a coachee to make self-observations which inform the coaching process and effect sustainable change in the approach, behaviour and beliefs of the coachee. In my experience these observations need to be simple and be made from a neutral viewpoint, not with judgement, self-criticism or interpretation. In coaching terms learning to self-observe simply means to take note of an action or event and record the feelings and outcomes associated with it.  True observation asks us to remove our personal filters of analysis and attribution and to describe factually what we witness.

 

One of the ways in which we might be able to increase our capacity for factual observation and subsequently of effective reasoning, comes from studies on Illeism. Illeism is “the practice of talking about oneself in the third person, rather than the first person”. This ancient art has been tested in a series of reports looking at the effectiveness of human reasoning and has been shown to improve our decision-making capability.

 

“The problem seems to be that when making personal choices, we become too immersed in our emotions, which cloud our thinking and prevent us from putting our issues in perspective. If I have received negative feedback from a colleague, for example, my feeling of embarrassment might lead me to become overly self-defensive. I might therefore dismiss their opinions without considering whether their advice could be helpful in the long-term” *

 

In coaching, simple observations and practices can elevate our abilities of self-awareness and self -management helping to confirm Russell’s statement that it is independent observation which leads to factual discovery. Looking dispassionately at the facts and perhaps recording those facts in the third person (illeism) may additionally promote our capacity for our reasoning and decision making, which itself leads to our ability to make positive change.

 

 

• https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230411-illeism-the-ancient-trick-to-help-you-think-more-wisely David Robson is a science writer and author of The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life, published by Canongate (UK) and Henry Holt (USA).