The Paradigm Shift Exercise
The paradigm shift is a quick, powerful and engaging exercise in exploring the importance of different perspectives.
Invite your group to look at the ceiling directly above them and imagine the face of a clock. Instruct each person to extend their pointer finger towards the 12 o’clock position.
Ask them to move this finger slowly in a clockwise direction around the clock face. Encourage your group to continue making these slow rotations over and over again.
And over the course of 5 to 10 seconds, slowly lower their hand until it is situated below the height of one’s shoulders. Continue to move your finger in a clockwise direction while slowly lowering your hand below the height of your shoulders.
Keep rotating one’s finger several more times. Ask your group to observe the direction of their movements, ie the finger will now be moving anti-clockwise.
Repeat the exercise two more times. Invite your group to reflect on why the direction of their rotating fingers changed.
Moment of Reflection
- Did you think you made a mistake at first when you observed the switch in directions? Why?
- Were you able to accept the switched direction easily? How?
- What assumptions did you make?
How did you challenge these assumptions? What was the result? - Can you think of a time when your perspective was very different to others around you?
- How do you resolve a difference of perspective or opinion?
- Why is it so hard to accept a different truth?
The topics of this publication: critical thinking, self, reflection
