Coaching practices for The Ladder of Inference During a Big Change
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For The Ladder of Inference During a Big Change, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I’ve already decided what’s going on and I’m about to act on it
- I’ve held this view of someone for so long that it’s become self-confirming
- My conclusion only makes sense because of a bunch of things I’m silently taking for granted about people and how the world works
- We keep going in circles arguing about who’s right, both certain
- One new fact came in and I swung from sure-it’s-fine to sure-it’s-a-disaster in a heartbeat
Practices that may help
- The Ladder of Inference
Chris Argyris's ladder of inference describes the rapid, largely invisible mental journey from raw observable data to a firmly held belief and action — selecting data, interpreting it, making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and acting, often in seconds. The practice is to slow this climb and check each rung, especially in high-stakes situations where conclusions feel certain but may be built on shaky selections and assumptions. - Test conclusions before acting on them
Treat your conclusion as a hypothesis and find one piece of evidence that would confirm or disconfirm it.
The Ladder of Inference - Slow the reflexive loop
Your current beliefs shape which data you select, reinforcing themselves — interrupt this loop deliberately.
The Ladder of Inference - Surface and examine the assumptions you are making
Name the assumptions filling the gap between the data you selected and the interpretation you reached.
The Ladder of Inference - Walk down the ladder together in disagreements
In conflict, stop arguing about conclusions and descend together to the data level.
The Ladder of Inference - Update beliefs incrementally, not all at once
New evidence should shift your probability somewhat — rarely from 5% to 95% in one step.
Bayesian Thinking: How to Update Beliefs Rationally - Build a progressive difficulty ladder
Map the skill you want into a sequence of steps from just-manageable to genuinely challenging, then climb it one rung at a time.
Mastery Experiences - Always ask what happens next after the obvious effect
For any decision, trace at least two steps of consequences before committing.
Mental Models: Charlie Munger’s Latticework Approach - Update beliefs frequently and in small increments
When new evidence arrives, adjust your probability estimate — even if the change is small.
Superforecasting - Ask “and then what?” three times
Don’t stop at the first consequence — follow the chain at least two steps further.
Second-Order Thinking: And Then What?
Related concerns
- Chris Argyris Ladder
Chris Argyris's ladder of inference describes the rapid, largely invisible mental journey from raw observable data to a firmly held belief and action — selecting data, interpreting it, making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and acting, often in seconds. The practice is to slow this climb and check each rung, especially in high-stakes situations where conclusions feel certain but may be built on shaky selections and assumptions.
- The Ladder Of Inference For My Teenager
Chris Argyris's ladder of inference describes the rapid, largely invisible mental journey from raw observable data to a firmly held belief and action — selecting data, interpreting it, making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and acting, often in seconds. The practice is to slow this climb and check each rung, especially in high-stakes situations where conclusions feel certain but may be built on shaky selections and assumptions.
- The Ladder Of Inference In A New Job
Chris Argyris's ladder of inference describes the rapid, largely invisible mental journey from raw observable data to a firmly held belief and action — selecting data, interpreting it, making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and acting, often in seconds. The practice is to slow this climb and check each rung, especially in high-stakes situations where conclusions feel certain but may be built on shaky selections and assumptions.
- The Ladder Of Inference When Burned Out
Chris Argyris's ladder of inference describes the rapid, largely invisible mental journey from raw observable data to a firmly held belief and action — selecting data, interpreting it, making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and acting, often in seconds. The practice is to slow this climb and check each rung, especially in high-stakes situations where conclusions feel certain but may be built on shaky selections and assumptions.
- The Ladder Of Inference With My Team
Chris Argyris's ladder of inference describes the rapid, largely invisible mental journey from raw observable data to a firmly held belief and action — selecting data, interpreting it, making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and acting, often in seconds. The practice is to slow this climb and check each rung, especially in high-stakes situations where conclusions feel certain but may be built on shaky selections and assumptions.
- Ladder Of Inference Assumptions
Chris Argyris's ladder of inference describes the rapid, largely invisible mental journey from raw observable data to a firmly held belief and action — selecting data, interpreting it, making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and acting, often in seconds. The practice is to slow this climb and check each rung, especially in high-stakes situations where conclusions feel certain but may be built on shaky selections and assumptions.
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