A short recorded conversation demonstrating the distinction between observable facts and internally generated stories (interpretations, judgments). The speakers (one named Diana) model an exercise of alternating “I notice” (fact) and “I imagine” (story) statements and recommend that teams articulate facts and hold stories lightly to improve conversations and productivity.
So one of the things that really slows down work productivity and kills powerful conversations is when individuals and teams don't make a distinction between facts and stories. Facts are what a video camera would record. It's unarguable. A story is what you literally make up in your mind. It's an opinion, a judgment, a belief, what you imagine. So we want to play a little game here and show you how it works. Diana and I are going to go back and forth, and we're going to say, I notice, and that'll be a fact. And then we're going to say, and I imagine, and that'll be a story. And we'll just go back and forth so you can hear the distinction between the two. You want to start?
Sure. I notice you putting your lips together, and I imagine that you're withholding yourself to let me talk.
I notice your eyebrow went up when you said withholding yourself to let me talk. And I imagine you were excited about saying that.
I notice the gray in your hair, and I imagine that sometimes that's been hard for you to allow your aging to show up here.
I notice you asked Carson to go get us sandwiches and bring them back. I imagine you're actually a fantastic hostess.
I noticed that I didn't show up for our group call the other night, and I imagine that you were sad about that or angry.
There you go. Fact, story. I notice only what a video camera would record. Imagine. Here's what I make up. Great teams distinguish those two. They articulate the facts, and they hold their stories lightly. Give it a try.
