By Charlotte Roberts

In the popular science fiction TV series Star Trek, an extraterrestrial species known as Vulcans possess a unique characteristic: They can wordlessly share thoughts, experiences, memories, and knowledge with others through a technique called a "mind meld." Unfortunately, we real-life humans don't share this trait. Not only do we struggle to communicate our thinking to others, we often act without being aware of the assumptions that shape our understanding of the world.

Mental models, the pictures or maps we have in our minds that we employ when interpreting, judging, and deciding, are one of the five disciplines of a learning culture. Our mental models control our actions, and yet we tend to be unaware of the specifics embedded within them. Most of us have not been trained in reflective learning to test our own thinking and understand its impact on ourselves and others.

Systems Thinking in Action:
Because Sustainable Success Doesn't Just Happen
October 31-November 2, 2011
Westin Seattle Hotel
Seattle, Washington

Dramatically increase the value of the conference for you and your organization by participating in the teams program. At no additional charge beyond your conference registration fee, you and your group are invited to:

1. Attend the team orientation on Sunday, October 30 from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. and connect with a coach who can help you establish your team's conference learning plan and post-conference goals.
2. Reconvene as needed during the conference, with or without your coach, to monitor your progress, reevaluate your approach, and share your findings.
3. Wrap up together after the close of the conference on Wednesday afternoon to crystallize future plans and implementation strategies.
4. When your team returns to work, schedule one complimentary follow-up call with a coach to discuss implementing your conference take-aways.

By Chris Soderquist and Rebecca Niles

When you present a systems thinking diagram--whether stock and flow or causal loop--do you find that eyes glaze over? Does it contain too much detail for many in your audience? While these pictures are worth a thousand words, they can be a bit much for some, especially those who did not participate in their initial development. As systems thinking consultants, we have been on an ongoing quest to spread systemic insights in a way that the broadest of audiences can digest and put into action.

We recently tested a novel approach to communicating systems ideas to a broad audience in a very short timeframe. In less than 20 days, a team created an animated video that could be widely distributed and easily understood, drawing people into a deeper look at the structure of a large, complex system. The project focused on helping educate the public and New Hampshire state legislators about the possible unintended consequences of proposed cuts to state health and human services funding.