The Ladder of Inference

During an interview on The Creative Classroom Podcast with John Spencer, John shared with me that he was resistant to the idea of coaching when he was in the classroom. Resistance is a mask. When faced with resistance, your job is to figure out the underlying emotions and issues at play. One helpful tool to use in these situations is the Ladder of Inference, created by Chris Argyris.

The Ladder of Inference is widely used in multiple fields. Skillful use of the ladder expands a story. Expanding a story is always helpful when dealing with resistance, because resistance can be frustrating. And an expanded story helps us shift into curiosity and compassion – critical dispositions for a Transformational Coach.

The top of this page is an example of how the Ladder might help you think through a common coaching challenge: a client being resistant to working with their coach. The next time you find yourself making assumptions about a situation, try the Ladder of Inference. People and situations are complex and often messy, so you might not get it “right,” but by expanding the story, you’ll be primed to operate with the compassion and curiosity you need to engage with your client.

If you’d like to read more about the Ladder of Inference, and Ladder of Inference coaching strategies, check out Chapter 6 of Coaching for Equity.