Effective Problem Solving: (Practice Manuals for Busy Professionals)

Table of Contents:
About the author    Acknowledgements   Preface   Foreword   Introduction: who, why, what and how   Why a manual?   How do I use it?    PART 1: Understanding people and their problems Introduction What is a problem? What is a ‘people’ problem? Why is the context important? How do we start? How do we get people motivated? How do we find the right way forward? How do we promote change? Why do we need PRECISE practice? What are the challenges involved? Is there a problem-solving process? Is a problem always an opportunity? What is the role of reflective practice? How do we make things happen? Conclusion PART 2: Problem-solving methods   Introduction   Important notes    A Active listening    Show that you are paying attention   Avoiding attribution errors   Avoiding oversimplifying the reasons for people’s behaviour   Avoiding avoidance   Facing up to our responsibilities   B Brainstorming    Maximising our range of options   Brokerage   Redirecting people to sources of help     C Capitalizing on crisis   Realizing the potential of critical moments in a person’s life   The CBC approach - Putting people at their ease   Challenging cognitive distortions - Trying to get a balanced view of the situation   Chunk up or chunk down - Finding the right level of analysis   The CIA framework - Managing pressure and stress   Circular questioning - Establishing the importance of interrelationships   Confronting without being confrontational - Using assertiveness skills   Congruence -Getting on the same wavelength   Consequences - Exploring options and their likely outcomes   Cost-benefit analysis - Balancing the pros and cons   Creative tension - Making sure expectations are realistic   Critical incident technique - Learning from significant experiences   Culture audit -Making sense of organizational cultures   D Dealing with objections   Persuading people to move forward   Developing a checklist  Save time and efforts with checklists   Doing the right things versus doing things right Balancing efficiency and effectiveness   The drama triangle Avoiding being drawn into being a ‘rescuer’     E Eating an elephant    Being realistic about what we can achieve   Eco maps - Mapping out relationships across groups of people   Educating - Problem solving through helping people learn   Elegant challenging - Being constructive in challenging unacceptable behaviour or language   Embedded whys - Establishing reasons for our actions   The empty chair - Exploring the influence of an absent person   Encouraging creativity - Avoiding getting stuck in ruts   Exchange is no robbery - The importance of reciprocity     F Failure mode and effects analysis   Anticipating failure and learning from it   Finding the growth zone Finding the balance between comfort and fear   Fishbone analysis A visual aid to problem solving   Fishing for red herrings Not allowing ourselves to get distracted   Force-field analysis Managing change   FORM good habits Use habits to gain greater control     G Gantt charts   Visual aids for project management   GIVE UP How to let go of negativity   Giving feedback Letting people know where they stand   Grief audit Getting an overview of people’s experiences of grief    Helicopter vision   Obtaining an overview   Holding  Helping to provide emotional security     I Inviting innocent questions   Getting a perspective from outside the situation you are dealing with     K Know your enemy   Coping with anxiety     L Lateral thinking   Finding new ways to think about problems and solutions     M The magic wand   Getting as close to the ideal as possible   Making the most of meetings - Avoiding time and energy being wasted   Mind mapping - Developing a picture of the situation you are dealing with   Mitigate the effects - Minimize the effects   Modelling and use of self - Using yourself as a tool to help others   Motivational interviewing - Using ambivalence to bring about change   Motivation audit - Getting an overview of key motivational factors     N Naming the process  Bringing hidden agendas out into the open   Negotiating expectations Being clear about what we can expect from each other   Not tolerating vagueness Avoiding the dangers of being too vague     O Objectives tree   A framework for helping to develop plans     P Paint the toilets   Making a fresh start  The paradoxical approach - Reducing behaviours by encouraging them   PCS analysis - Understanding different levels of discrimination   Peacemaking circles -Drawing on Native American wisdom   PEARLS - Building relationships   Positive strokes Building confidence   Principled negotiation - Constructive ways of reaching agreement   Promoting realism - Getting a balance between optimism and pessimism   Providing an anchor - Providing security in times of instability   Pushing the buttons - Acting as an advocate    R Radical non-intervention  Allowing situations to resolve themselves   RAID - Reducing problematic behaviours   REBT - Understanding anger   Recognising grief - Appreciating the significance of loss and grief   The RED approach - Managing conflict   Reframing - Redefining problem situations to allow people to move forward   Releasing the scapegoat - Avoiding the destructiveness of blame   Responding to feelings - Taking account of the emotional dimension   Revisiting assumptions - Questioning the premises  The right person for the job - Matching skills and aptitudes to tasks   Risk assessment - Analysing the risks involved in a given situation   Role reversal - Seeing the situation from someone else’s point of view     S SARAH    Coping with emotional intensity   Serendipity - Making the most of chance occurrences   The six thinking hats - Looking at the different angles   SMART objectives - The importance of having clear goals   SOLER - Managing interpersonal relations   Start – Stop – Continue - Optimising a situation   Stop trying! Taking a break from our efforts can sometimes be helpful   Storytelling - Using stories to gain fresh insight   Stress audit Getting an overview of pressures, coping methods and support   SWOT analysis - Balancing positives and negatives as an aid to decision making     T Think–feel–do   Taking account of the three dimensions of human experience   The three Hs - Understanding what motivates people’s behaviour   The three Rs - Drawing on strengths   TOTE - Testing out the changes we make   Transactional analysis - Understanding interpersonal dynamics   Tuning in - Making connections with the people we are trying to help   Typology of objectives - Prioritising what you are trying to achieve     U Using an accountability partner   The importance of supportive reminders   Using dissonance - Challenging ingrained views   Using personal constructs - Developing our own theories     V Visioning   Developing a vision of the place we want to get to     W Working backwards   Keeping a clear focus on outcomes   Worst case, best case     Getting things in perspective   Guide to further learning   References 

About the Author :
Neil Thompson is an independent writer, producer of online learning resources and a visiting professor at the Open University. His approach is based on the three Ps: where there are People, there will be Problems, but there will also be Potential. He has decades of experience helping individuals and organisations to address the problems and fulfil the potential.   He is renowned for his ability to express complex ideas clearly and accessibly without oversimplifying them and to successfully blend theory and practice. In a long career, he has provided training or consultancy services to over 100 organisations, spoken at conferences and seminars in 13 different countries and has won awards for the quality and impact of his work. He has held full or honorary professorships at five UK universities, but for many years now he has focused on reaching a much wider audience to help make a positive difference. He has earned the trust to be a helpful guide and mentor through his writings and online learning and you will no doubt soon see why when you start reading this book. His Academy website, with his Manifesto for Making a Difference, is at www.NeilThompson.info.