Video Transcript: The Ladder of Inference

I want to welcome you back to this course called, I say call but we'll say this, that this is a  course on personal and ministry assessment for for Christian leaders. And if you recall, in my  introductory lecture, I mentioned that, that I worked for a ministry, a fabulous ministry, called  the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative. And our focus with that ministry is on impacting the  lives of urban children by investing in their leaders. And while our focus is on the lives of, of  youth workers, we believe that these principles Trencin youth workers, that they are  applicable to anyone in ministers, so So whether again, you are a pastor, senior pastor or lay  pastor, whether you are an elder or a deacon, it really doesn't matter if you are a Sunday  school teacher or a women's ministry leader, we believe that the principles that that that are  embedded in this particular course, are beneficial for anyone desiring to improve, to become  a better communicator, to understand what God has to say about us learning more about  ourselves as leaders, so that we can become more effective at what God has called us to do.  Now, now, if you are, if you've been with us, throughout this journey, you will recall that in the first lecture, our focus was on the biblical foundations of communication, we looked at a  number of passages in the scriptures to get a sense of God's heart as relates to the  importance of communicating effectively, then we transition from there and we will focus in  our second lecture was, was on different approaches to communication. And the title of that  lesson was on communication, sorry, constructive communication. And again, we we examine some some different approaches to communication, they being debate, the other one being  polite discussion, then skill, discussion, and then dialogue. And so so so we come aways now  and again, laying a foundation about the importance of communication, then we provide you  with some important tools that can help you understand the different approaches to  communication. Now, in this lecture, our focus is going to be on examining a main a key  barrier, a key roadblock, a key stumbling block, to effective communication. And then we're  going to talk about how can we overcome this very prevalent, well blocked is very prevalent,  barrier to effective communication that we all deal with. And so the title of this lecture is  called the ladder of inference. And as you'll see in a few minutes, this this particular concept  comes from the work of a systems theorist by the name of Chris Argyris. And, and he's still  kind of the brainchild behind this particular concept, but as we walk through this, you'll see  exactly how intuitive it is and how much it makes him. So, let us dive into talking about the  ladder of inference but but as we have done in, in each of our lectures, we always want to  begin with, with giving you something to think about to give you some some some questions  to reflect our before we jump in earnest into the content. In this particular lecture, as we talk  about the ladder of inference, I want to begin by asking you Have you ever experienced  communication failures, because of having incorrect assumptions? You know, when I was  when I was growing up, we used to have a saying or a phrase about jumping to conclusions  and jumping to conclusions. This is when we we just it is a natural process where we jump to  a conclusion about something that may or may not be true. We don't have all the facts we  don't know all the all the things that go into this process, but we just we just jump to a  conclusion and conclude certain things that are not necessarily always accurate. So I'm sure  you've had those experiences in your own life where you have experienced a communication  So, you because you have incorrect assumptions, you assume some things, but only to  discover later that things like get it right. And you realize the downfall because you may even  have a relationship that is, has has. You may have had a relationship that gone sour, because  you had an incorrect assumption about someone or you may have assumed something about  a person that you just met. All into discover that isn't true. We've all been there, and I'm sure  you have as well. Second thing. Well, before I get into another question, I want to now  transition to have you watch a video. And this video will go up or frame up what this concept  of the ladder of inference is. And so I want you to take a few minutes to watch this video, and  then I'll be right back. Matching the microscopic size ladder contained in the part of our brain  that will label our subconscious. The ladder of inference, which was first proposed by Harvard  professor, because surgery is the basis of this model. Every time we interact with someone  that experience centers the ladder at the bottom, that same experience zips up the ladder in  the blink of an eye. This process happens 1000s of times a day without us knowing. Let's  focus on what happens on each rung of the ladder. On the first rung, we have the raw data 

and observations of our experience. This is very similar to us someone watching a video  recording of our experience with C. Moving up to the second rung, we filter in specific  information in details from our experience. We unknowingly filter based on our preferences,  tendencies, and many other aspects that we believe are important. Onto the third rung, we  assign meaning to the information we have filtered through. This is where we start to  interpret where information is telling us on the fourth rung, a very crucial thing happens. We  develop assumptions based on the meaning we created on the previous rung. And we start to  blur the distinction between what is fact and what is story. On the fifth rung, we develop  conclusions based on our assumptions. This is also where our emotional reactions are created. On the sixth rung, we adjust our beliefs about the world around us, including the person or  people involved in our experience of the moment. On the seventh and final rung, we take  action based on our adjusted beliefs. Still with me, great. Let's take a real life example and  run it up the ladder to see how this all works. Have you ever been cut off in a parking lot  signal light on as you steer towards your coveted spot when they slam on your brakes at the  last minute as someone pulls in front of you and steals your spot away? Imagine that  experience and notice all of the data and observations landing on the first rung of your ladder. Now let's watch. Pay attention to on the second row. Who cares that it's sunny out and the  birds are chirping the 50% off sign outside of your favorite stories meaningless. You filter in  the sensation of your grip tightening on the wheel, you feel your blood pressure rise to hear  the squeal of your brakes. And you notice the expression on the face of the other drivers who  pose in front of you and quickly looks away. Time for a third rung. Ever since you were young.  Your parents taught you the importance of waiting in line and taking your turn. You live and  die by the rule of first come first serve. And now this guy is just on your spot. Up to the fourth  rung we go watch closely as our assumptions take over in our story creates itself. That's  stupid jerk. Didn't his parents teach him anything? How could he not see my signal light he  must never pay attention. Why does he think is more important than anyone else? Jumping  quickly to the fifth rung, we conclude that this guy's heartless and consider it. He needs to be  taught a lesson in putting this place. We feel angry, frustrated, vindictive, justified. On our  sixth rung, we adjust our beliefs based on the experience. That's the last time I give in. Next  time someone tries to cut me off. Tires will be smoking on the pavement as I squeal past  them into my spot. And finally our last round. We take action. We back up, pull up behind his  car. Honk our horns roll down their window imagine he walks over quickly. Apologizing is wife  who is almost do with their first baby calls him from inside the mall to say she is in labor and  needs to get to the hospital immediately. We are momentarily shocked. apologize profusely.  And wish him luck as he rushes toward the entrance. What just happened here? What  changed? Why is this so significant? In our parking lot examples, our beliefs were short  circuited by the ladder of the other individual. My wife is in labor, I need to get there quick.  There's a parking spot. For jeez, someone, I better apologize quickly, so they don't think I'm a  jerk. But what if we were able to short circuit our ladders ourselves? Proactively by choice?  Guess what we can? Let's return to our unique human function of freewill. Next time you  notice yourself reacting to your experience, pay focused attention to your ladder. Ask yourself what beliefs are at play? Where did they come from? What data and observations Did you  filter in as a result of your beliefs? And why are your assumptions valid and supported by  facts? What a different set of assumptions create different feelings can result in new and  better conclusions and actions. We all have our own unique ladders, be mindful of yours, and  help others to see. Pretty neat video, wasn't it? What I'd like to do right now is now that  you've watched the video and got a sense of what the ladder of inference concept is all about. Again, the ladder of inference is a framework about what happens in our heads. And it  happens. Intuitively, it happens very quickly. We on sometimes we're not even aware. In fact,  most of the time, we're not even aware that it is occurring in and our thought processes but  but as the video shows, and I'm sure that many of you chuckled as you watched it, and you  found yourself in that videos, and yep, I've done that before. And you probably recall the time when you actually did that, just this week, and maybe even today, you you you had an  occurrence where you went up what we call the ladder of inference. But But I want to take  some time right now and to just kind of walk through briefly, what you saw in the video. And, 

and as the way this concept works is is that, that as you and I go through the course of a day,  we take in a lot of observable data, there are things that we see. And so what no matter  where you are you you take in a lot of data. And now let's take for example, you go into a  coffee shop, and you you go into the coffee shop and all the observable data are the people  that you see the people sitting around drinking coffee, you may see a person in a corner, you  may see a couple in a corner just sitting sipping on a cup of coffee, you may have someone  sitting on a bench with headphones on listen to music, you may have someone on another  base, typing away at a computer, you have the people behind the counter, you see the  baristas you see people ordering, that's all the observable data in that particular coffee shop.  But then you can't focus on all that information at one time. So you kind of have to be  selective and so so you go into the coffee shop and you sit down and and you end up focusing in on two people that you see who seem to be engaged in some type of discussion. And so  you focus in on those two individuals, and you kind of block out the rest of the information in  that particular in that in in the coffee shop. So you see those, those two people sitting at the  table together, they have a Bible, both of them have Bibles, and they're talking back and  forth. So what you do based on your cultural background and your personal experience, you  add meaning and you say they must be involved in a Bible study. That's the meaning that you add to that they must be involved in a Bible study. And then you make some assumptions  based on the meaning that you add, you say those guys must be Christians. That would you  assume you you you make an assumption that they are Christians. And you draw a conclusion that that this is what they do on a regular basis that they must come to Starbucks on a  regular basis to have Bible studies. And so once you draw that conclusion, you adopt beliefs  about the world that hey, Man, these guys are very evangelistic, they believe in coming into a public space to share their faith. And and so then what you do is that you take action based  on what you believe. You get up and you go over and you introduce yourself and, and you  have conversations with them, you you engage them thinking that these guys are are  believers, and that they're engaged in a Bible study. Now, number we also need to  understand that there's a reflective loop that's involved in this. And the reflective loop says  that our beliefs affect what data we select next time. So let's say for example, again, you go  back into the Starbucks, and you see someone else a different person, but you see the same  people sitting there, I'm sorry, you see a different people sitting there doing the exact same  thing that you saw those guys doing. And based on your beliefs, you select that same data,  and you go up the ladder, same way, you assume that those same people who are sitting  there, drinking coffee and reading what appears to be the Bible, you assume that maybe that  they're even connected to those previous people before. And so with. So that's how the  reflective loop work, I believe, affect what data we select next time. So we zero in on those  guys, who are who appear to be doing a Bible study that how the ladder of inference works.  Now, it's kinda disarmed is up a little bit. What the ladder of inference says is that we adopt  beliefs based on the conclusions we draw, which are based on what we observe, which are  influenced by our assumptions, and our experiences. So what I really want to emphasize here  is the ladder of inference is something that happens in our heads. It is the thought process  that goes on in our heads. And again, it goes on intuitively. We focus in on data all the time,  and we're very selective. And we draw conclusions and beliefs and assumptions. We do this  intuitively, we do it every single day. We do it about people, we do it about places, we do it  about things. And what I really want to do in this court is to make you aware that this happens that this goes on in our heads, it doesn't matter what race you are, what ethnicity you are, it  doesn't matter what gender you are, it doesn't matter what country you come from, it doesn't matter what language you speak, this all goes on in our heads, we all go up the ladder of  inference, this all takes place in our individual minds. And so you need to be aware that this is something that goes on, in our minds on a daily basis. So now, I want to give you an  opportunity to now you watch the video, and you got some sense of what this concept looks  like. So let me paint a different scenario for you. And kind of give you an opportunity to  practice this. Let's let's assume that you have a staff meeting. It's a budget meeting, and you  have all your team members there. But there's one member who is not there, one of your  members has an empty chair in the room, you have one person who is reporting on a key 

agenda item. And and everyone is taking notes as this person is reporting on this particular  agenda item. But but there's a chair missing and you you look at your watch and you realize  that you're 30 minutes into this budget meeting and then all of a sudden the door swings  open and and one of your other key staff members is not there. I'm sorry that wasn't there.  Industry room. doesn't say anything to anybody doesn't even say good morning. doesn't even say hey, I'm sorry I'm late, but they just dropped out in their chair. let out a big sigh. So now,  here's what I'd like you to do. Or let's think about this a little bit. There are two ways you can  assess this situation as relates to the ladder of inference. You can go up the ladder with the  worst intention about this team members behavior, because in your mind, this person has no  excuse. You can assume the worst about this particular person or you can go up the ladder  with the best intention about this person. This team members behavior is legitimate Now let's do that. Let's let's let's apply this particular scenario to the ladder of inference just to give you a better sense of how this works. Now what I'm going to do is that I'm going to, I'm going to  paint the scenario using, not the worst case. Because what we always like to do, we'd like to  focus on the worst case scenario. But I'm going to give you the try, go back to that Monday  slot, I'm going to go up the ladder with the best intentions, I'm going to believe the best about this team members behavior show. So you'll see how this works. Now, this is what I'm  assuming. This is what I'm thinking, as I apply the ladder of inference to this budget meeting.  So So again, the observable data is we're in the staff meeting. And we're 30 minutes and one  member is reporting on a budgetary item, other members are taking notes, I have a chair that is missing, and then 30 minutes and the door swings open. This late staff member steps in  sits in the chair left outside? Well, if I'm assuming the best attention, what I focus on when he  sits down in his chair, is that he's on his phone. He even though yes, he's late. Once he gets  into the room, he's now focused on his phone. Well, I don't have my phone with me in here.  But but but you can just imagine, he's sitting there on his phone. But then I add meaning, the  meaning that I add to what I observe is that his mother is still ill, his mother is still sick. And  he is looking for updates, he's checking on the well being of his mother. And then once I add  meaning to that situation, make an assumption, my assumption is he will need support, as he  has to make some major decisions about his mother's upcoming care. So now you see you  see what I'm doing, you see how this is working? Again, I select the data, he's on the phone,  yes, he's late, he started minutes late into this budget meeting. Then when he gets there,  he's on the phone. The meaning that I add to this is that he's getting updates, he's checking  to find out how his mother is doing now, again, this is what I'm thinking. This is what I'm  thinking, then I make the assumption that he has to make some major decisions coming up  regarding his mother's care, then I draw our conclusion, he may need to have some flexibility  as it relates to his schedule. So again, this is what I'm thinking. I'll make the assumption that  his mother is going to need some child and his mother is going to need some care, I draw the  conclusion that he is going to need some flexibility when it comes to the care of his mother.  And then the belief I adopt is I need to discuss his schedule with him. And then finally, the  actions that I take is that I set up a meeting. Now remember, none of this is actual from here  to here. All this happens in my head. This is what I practice in business what I am thinking.  Now, the reason why I am able to make this conclusion is because I've had some some  previous conversations with this employee about the situation with his mother. Now granted,  he didn't call me ahead of time to let me know that he was going to be late. But as I'm  processing this information, in my head, as I'm thinking through why he's late, I'm assuming  the best, I'm assuming that the reason why he's late has something to do with his mother.  And so as a result of that, that determines the meaning that I add the assumptions that are  made, the conclusions that I draw, and the beliefs that I adopt, and ultimately to the actions  that I take. Now, we could we could flip this and give a worst case scenario. And I'd like for  you to just just think about what could happen If we adopt the worst case scenario, the worst  case scenario is that he was late intentionally, we can add meaning that he really doesn't  care about his, his his job, I can make this something that he doesn't respect me as his boss, I could draw the conclusion is that he's out looking for another job adopt the beliefs about him  is that he's really not a team member and his own his way out. And, and the actions that I  take is that I start aggressively looking to replace his position. Now, again, all of this takes 

place in my head. This is not something that is necessarily actual or real, but is how things  play out in our head, hence the ladder of inference. And so here's the question that we need  to ask ourselves, How do we stop going up the ladder? How do we stop ourselves from as we  say, as I said earlier, how do we keep from jumping to a conclusion? How do we stop from  drawing a conclusion that we rationalize in our head that is not necessarily based on real  facts, because we've not tested our assumptions, we've not inquired of that individual to find  out if what was going on in our head was actually now, before I talk about how to stop going  up the ladder, I want to give you another quick illustration of this when I was in graduate  school, my my professor, and while I was in graduate school, getting a degree in Educational  Leadership, and I recall one of my teachers Her name was Dr. Her dad said that before she  became a professor at this particular college, where I attended that she was a, a, she was a  high school teacher at a Christian school in the area. And the this particular Christian school  had a very strict policy against student cheating. And that was communicated across the  board to the student body was in the handbooks. And all the parents knew about it, all the  students knew about it. And it was it was stringently enforced in that particular school and so  in one day in this particular class, her class had workbooks, to record assignments that she  had given them in these workbooks and so one day she said, I entered the classroom and  some of the some of our classes were already seated and some some some of the pupils in  our class were standing in the corner chatting and talking out with the client had started yet  so they had a freedom to kind of meander and talk and chat with one another. But she said,  she noticed a young lady in the back of the room. She knows the young lady in the back of  the room and and she said the young lady had to she had two workbooks. She had two  workbooks. And she allayed the two workbooks, chapter two workbooks side by side, and she  was copying some one notebook over to the other one. And she said, rather than So, so what  she said. She said, Well, something told me not to accuse the young lady of anything. But she said, I went to the back of the room, and I said, Excuse me, what are you doing? The student  stopped what she's doing. And she looked at his old doctor, her dad. My old workbook started  to come apart. I asked my mom to buy me a new one. And she bought me this new workbook. So what I've been doing is that I have been transferring the information from my own  notebook, into my new notebook. To what Dr. Hadad said, Okay. But then she sprung this on,  she said, imagine what would have happened if I had accused the young lady of cheating  without even inquiring about what she was doing. Imagine if I had just went straight back and said, Come with me, young lady. We are heading to the principal's office, because you are  cheating. And you know what the school's policy is about cheating. And she said, Even if I got  to the office, and found out later that it wasn't true that she was cheating. Imagine what that  would have done to the relationship I would have had from that moment on With that  particular student. So that brings me to how do we stop going up the ladder? How do we stop  going up that ladder to draw conclusions about people, places or things where we don't have  all the facts? Well, as we see here, one way that we stop going up the ladder is that we  suspend judgment. That's just a fancy way of saying, just stop. And to be aware of where you  are on the ladder, just stop, don't go any further, but realize that you are going up the ladder.  And just so you'll know, by the time you become aware that you going up the ladder, you  probably would have at least gotten to the add meaning or make assumption stage on the  ladder. But what you need to do is to be aware that this is happening, and don't go into  further. Just be aware of where you are on the ladder. In the case of Dr. Hadad, that I just  mentioned, in that students, she had already selected the data and she had added some  meaning to it. And she realized that I can't go into further so so she stopped where she was  because she didn't make an assumption. She didn't draw any conclusions. She didn't adopt  any beliefs. And she didn't take any actions that were detrimental. So what she did is that she suspended her judgment. She became aware of her own thinking and reasoning, she realized, again, where she was on the ladder. And the goal here, when you become aware of your own  thinking, you need to start working your way back down the ladder and ask, how did I get  here? How did I get here? This is this internal dialogue that you have with yourself. And if I can go back, if I can go back real quick, as you so if you're at this stage, you start asking yourself,  okay, I'm making an assumption. So as you come down, why did I add that? Meaning? When? 

How did I add the meaning? And why did I select this data that I chose? So you start working  your way back down the ladder, you first Stop where you are, you stop here, for example,  you're about to draw a conclusion, but you stop, you don't. And they use making your way  back down the ladder? By asking questions. By asking, How did I get here? You become aware of your thinking, and your reasoning? Why did I add that? Meaning? What cultural preferences are at play here? What what thought processes do I have about that particular race, or that  particular person that are at play potentially, in me making this decision? In the case of Dr.  Hadad, when she stopped, her reasoning could have been the reason why I'm going up this  ladder is because we have a policy at this school against cheating. And so because there's a  policy at this school, and because I see a young lady who appears to be cheating, then all of  those things are at play. But as she started going back down the ladder, she does as well,  maybe that's not the case. So you need to become aware of your thinking and your  reasoning, then you need to make your thinking more visible to others. In the case of Dr.  Hadad, she made her thinking visible. She made her thinking visible by going and talking to  the students. Now, the next principle here is you can inquire more deeply into the thinking of  others. These kind of work in tandem with one another. So again, in the case of Dr. Hadad,  she not only made her thinking visible to the young lady, she inquire more deeply into what  was going on. With that young lady, she asked the question, what are you doing? And now  these are not necessarily at least these are sequential in the sense as you become aware of  your own thinking, but sometimes these two right here flip because in the case of doctor had  that she first of all inquires more deeply, then she may know what she was thinking, because  in the end, she told the latest Oh, I'm so good. I I thought maybe something else was going  on. But But But I realized later I realized now that that's not the case. So you draw these  conclusions, you suspend judgment. Most recently, my wife told my son that she wanted him  to wear some of his, you know, it's summertime, it's hot. And I'm I'm from Alabama, by the  way, in case I didn't tell you earlier, but I'm from Alabama. And if you've ever been to  Alabama in the summertime, it gets real hot, very humid. And so even when school starts,  which is in early August, for, for Alabama is still hot. So my wife wanted my son to wear these  shorts that we bought him and, and my son is just a little, almost as tall as I am, and more on  the slim side. And, and so he's become very conscious of himself and his body. As a teenager,  he's in the 10th grade. And if you have teenagers, you know, how challenging him is with  teenagers. And now they become more cognizant of their themselves in the way they look  okay? And they're always fixated with the way they look. So, so I hear my son and my wife  kind of bantering back and forth about the wearing of these shorts. And here we go, again, I  gotta go with and we wait between the wife and the Son. So So I see him a little frustrated by  all of this. And while the wife is in the back, I saw her come in and ask you questions as to  what's going on between your mom, and dad, mom wants me to wear the shorts, and I don't  want to wear the shorts and and now I could have just gone up the ladder with him and say,  Hey, you just being rebellious. And if you don't wear those shorts, then you got to be  disciplined, I could have done all of that. But I suspend judgment, realize where I was going  on the ladder, and then inquire more deeply into his thinking. And I just simply ask Why don't  you wear the shorts to which he responded. I'm skinny. And the key is make fun of me. And I  understand I know exactly how you feel. And right now, some of you out there, understand  how my son feels, or may have felt. Because I was skinny. When I was in high school, I was  made fun of by my fellow classmates. So I empathize with the hurt and the pain that my son  was feeling. Because he felt embarrassed. Going to school. So by means suspending my  judgment, making my thinking and reasoning, a bit of being becoming more aware of my own thinking, not adding meaning and not going up the ladder against him about wearing those  shorts. I inquired. So tell me what you thinking. And then I made my thinking more visible to  him. And I let him know that while wearing those shores are important, but wasn't more  important to how he was feeling, especially in the context of being in school, in particular, be  made fun of and laugh. So we were able to avert a major conflict in my house at night, just  because of being able to apply this tool of the ladder of inference, or at least recognizing that  the ladder of inference is something that happens in my head. But it was also happening in  my son's head as well. Because I'm sure he went up the ladder against his mother, he went 

up the ladder against me. But because I've been fortunate enough to know about this tool  and and know how to apply it, I was able to walk this situation down that fuse, potentially  contentious situation and move on to the next challenge or the next issue that was going to  come about. So this is how we do the ladder of of inference. And so I like to, to kind of bring  this to a close by giving you a reflection question to think about. And the question is this.  What can I do in my most important, personal and work relationships to contribute to  improving The quality of communication. Again, what can I do? What can you do in your most  personal and work relationships, to contribute to improving the quality of communication?  Well, in case you haven't figured it out, as relates to this course, the key to this, we're really  digging in to understanding this concept of the ladder of inference, and then putting it to  practice in your own life. That's how you would do that. So understanding this concept, and  we're going to give you some, some give you some additional readings that will help you dig  into this concept. And I want to encourage you to make sure you avail yourself of the readings that this assignment has with it, and that you dig in, to really, really grasp this concept,  because I am convinced that if you grasp this concept is going to produce huge dividends for  you in terms of your effectiveness in communicating with others. Because communication  really starts with us, it starts with demand and the woman in the mirror, and becoming better  at understanding your own thought processes, so that you can help others with theirs. So in  summary, what have we learned about this concept? The ladder of inference? Well, first of all, this is something that happens with all of us. And that is, we all have a tendency to jump to  conclusions. Again, we all do this, again, we do it intuitively, is a part of the human condition.  We all jumped to conclusions, we all draw conclusions about people, places, or things without  having all of the facts. Sometimes people are pronounced guilty. And they've not even been,  have given an opportunity for all the facts to come in to play there. They can't even do that.  That the the facts don't even bear it out. At least we haven't heard all of the facts yet is what  I'm trying to communicate. Sometimes all the facts are not in a yet we've already become  judge and jury of a particular situation, we've jumped to a conclusion. It's unfortunate, again,  that this happens a lot in our culture today. Our culture is is kind of a wash. And people jump  into conclusions about people about situations. And in some cases, the facts don't even  matter. But this is something that we as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, who are  committed to truth, must resist with every fiber of our being, to give people the benefit of  doubt, until proven otherwise. The way we see the world influences our behavior. And we  have to recognize that this is a reality, the way we see the world, the episodes a week you  mean we all see the world through a particular lens. We all see the world through what we call a worldview. We all look at the world from a cultural framework, a cultural background, that  the way we see the world has been shaped by upbringing, the things that our parents may  have taught us, the people we grew up with the environment that we came out of those  things shaped the way we see the world. And none of those lenses are perfect. All of those  lenses are skewed, all of those lenses are imperfect. This is why scripture has to be the lens  through which we we look at people places and things. We have to have the word of God. The  Word of God is our lens. The Word of God is our ultimate worldview that we look through to  draw our conclusions because the word of God is a corrected the Word of God corrects the  way we see the world. Now, you don't know this. But I work contacts. And what's interesting  about my contact is is that that in this i i have a stigmatism and In this I'm nearsighted. So I  have two different lenses in my eyes, and both of them are for the purpose of correcting a  defect. nearsightedness, stigmatism, two different lenses to correct a problem, a physical  problem, but in the same light also have a spiritual problem that has to be corrected through  the lens is the word of God. So the way we see the world influences our behavior. Certainly  being self aware, keeps us from climbing the ladder, oh, the love of this is so important. You  and I have to become self aware, we have to be self reflective beings. being self aware, helps  us it's not going to stop us from going up the ladder. But it helps us to become aware we are  on the ladder. And then it helps us to then work our way back down the ladder. But the only  way you can do that is that you have to be aware of your own thinking, you have to be a self  reflective person. I'm convinced that that, that the more self awareness that you are, the  more effective you will become, as a Christian leader, self awareness. Being aware of your 

own foibles being aware of your own flaws, being aware of your own shortcomings, tells you  not only to be sympathetic with other people, but it also helps you to become empathetic  with other people as well. being self aware, helps you to recognize where you are on the  ladder, keeps you from going all the way up and draw conclusions about people that are not  necessarily true. But it helps you to work your way back down that ladder. So that you don't  draw erroneous conclusions. Time to pray, we've come to the end of this, I believe is very  powerful lesson this powerful lecture on the ladder of inference. And again, I can't emphasize  enough the importance for you to really do the hard work to really grasp this particular  concept. And if you do that, then I think it will work huge dividends for you. And this is a  practical way to kind of help you visualize is I'm sure you have a ladder somewhere to hold.  Just take the ladder out, sit there and just look at it with this framework in mind. physically  walk up the ladder on each step and just visualize this is what's happening in your mind. Just  so you can get the concept in your head. With that. Let me pray for us. Father, again, we  thank you and praise you for our time together. Again, I bless those who have joined us for  this particular lesson. And I pray that You would help us to apply what we've learned through  this lesson this lecture this course. And in particular, this particular lesson on the ladder of  inference. Help us not only to understand it, but help us to apply it to our individual lives. In  Jesus name. Amen. Thank you. God bless