Although, I wrote a post last year and, again, made reference to it in the July post, the core impact of your ‘Window on the World’ is so important as to qualify for a ‘Second Look’. You seem to think so too, because we have had a number of telephone calls and e-mails, from regular followers of my ‘ramblings’, asking me to go into a little more detail.
Of course, not literally a window, but your Frame of Reference developed, over many years, based on four index factors.
Experience All the events and occurrences that have happened to you and around you, throughout your life, to date.
Education Initially, defined by the formal education that you received at school and university. However, it must, also, be seen in the wider context of specialist job training and any personal development that has directed you into a particular type of job, trade, profession or vocation.
Beliefs We all have a belief system, which advises us on how we should conduct ourselves, in any situation. This has a particular resonance in matters of business. What represents good business practice, in one organization, might be perceived as sharp practice in another. It is a question of the standards against which it is measured.
You might, also, adhere to strong religious beliefs, which set very clear standards of behaviour and lifestyle. You feel bound to observe these standards in, both, your personal and professional lives.
Environment The environmental index, of your Frame of Reference, can be characterized in two ways.
- There are the physical environments in which you exist. We, all, have a home environment and, usually, a work environment. We are familiar and feel comfortable within these environments. Indeed, in many cases, we have had strong involvement in creating them.
- We have a social environment. It is based on the people with whom we have no difficulty in communicating. We feel more at ease dealing with people that come from the same social, cultural, professional, employment and geographic backgrounds as ourselves. This is never more evident than when we communicate. We share similar languages, accents, dialects and mores, with our social environmental group. In the work situation, there is often the added benefit of the verbal ‘shortcuts’ of a common technical language or familiarity with organizational standards and systems.
Literally, all sensory information that comes in, through our ‘Window’, is measured by the four indices of our Frame of Reference. We, involuntarily, ‘trawl our memory banks’ to rationalize the information that we are receiving, within the context of our own experience, education, beliefs and environment. By the same token, all the sensory information that we send out through our ‘Window’ is influenced and defined by the same four indices.
The secret of good human relations, social and interpersonal skills is to make every effort to understand the Frames of Reference of the people with whom you have contact and take this into account, not only on incoming information, but also in your responses. As well as that, you must continue to extend the range of the four indices of your own Frame of Reference.
I hope this helps and that, at least, I have been able to add to your Frame of Reference!
‘Wheresoe’er I change my view, all is strange but nothing new’
(Dr Samuel Johnson 1709-1784)
Our ‘Frame of Reference’ made an important contribution to the DNA of the following Training Package
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Beliefs We all have a belief system, which advises us on how we should conduct ourselves, in any situation. This has a particular resonance in matters of business. What represents good business practice, in one organization, might be perceived as sharp practice in another. It is a question of the standards against which it is measured.
You might, also, adhere to strong religious beliefs, which set very clear standards of behaviour and lifestyle. You feel bound to observe these standards in, both, your personal and professional lives.
Environment The environmental index, of your Frame of Reference, can be characterized in two ways.
- There are the physical environments in which you exist. We, all, have a home environment and, usually, a work environment. We are familiar and feel comfortable within these environments. Indeed, in most cases, we have had some involvement in creating them.
- We have a social environment. It is based on the people with whom we have no difficulty in communicating. We feel more at ease dealing with people that come from the same social, cultural, professional, employment and geographic backgrounds as ourselves. This is never more evident than when we communicate. We share similar languages, accents, dialects and mores, with our social environmental group. In the work situation, there is often the benefit of the verbal ‘shortcuts’ of a common technical language or familiarity with organizational standards and systems.
Literally, all sensory information that comes in, through your ‘Window’, is measured by the four indices of your Frame of Reference. We, involuntarily, ‘trawl our memory banks’ to rationalize the information that we are receiving, within the context of our own experience, education, beliefs and environment. By the same token, all the sensory information that you send out through your ‘Window’ is influenced and defined by the same four indices.
The secret of good human relations, social and interpersonal skills is to make every effort to understand the Frames of Reference of the people with whom you have contact and take this into account, not only on incoming information, but also in your responses. As well as that, you must continue to extend the range of the four indices of your own Frame of Reference.
I hope this helps and that, at least, I have been able to add to your Frame of Reference!
‘Wheresoe’er I change my view,
All is strange but nothing new’
(Dr Samuel Johnson 1709-1784)