The Two-Column Exercise

The two-column exercise is an exercise we teach people to use with executives in our executive program. It has been shown through experience that development both horizontally and vertically requires self-reflection, self-correction and self-coaching. In order to create this kind of activity, we can use a simple transcript of a coaching session we have been involved in where some executive issue/problem or opportunity has been discussed, either directly with the coach or indirectly through the coach about another incident.

Here's a typical way the Two-column exercise is used:

Two-Column Assignment

This excerpt came from here

The overall aim of this exercise is to help you see your own reasoning and actions in a new light. If you are successful in your attempt to see things more productively, then, theory suggests, you will be able to act more productively.

Select an interpersonal situation that you have been involved with during the past month or two that was difficult for you in some respect or other. Perhaps the interaction itself was difficult. Perhaps you regret something that you said or did. Perhaps you regret the outcome that was produced - the Abilene Paradox again. Some typical examples include:
- you can't reach agreement with your close associates (e.g., work- or room-mates)
- someone else is not pulling his or her weight
- you believe you are being treated unfairly
- you believe your point of view is being ignored or discounted
- the rest of your group or organization is resisting a change you want to implement
- you believe your group is not paying enough attention to the most crucial problem
Write a brief paragraph describing the situation. What are/were you trying to achieve? Who or what is/was blocking you? What is/was at stake?
Describe the interaction itself. To do this, first divide one or more sheets of paper down the middle. Record what you and the other actually said in the right-hand column. Record what you were thinking and feeling, but perhaps did not say, in the left-hand column.
Tip: If you are working with a word processor, use the table function to create the two columns.

Here are two examples of two-column cases:

Phil Donaldson's story - written about 7 years ago by a mid career professional forester
Mac's Case - written recently by a guy named Mac

The Two-Column Case exercise is the invention of Chris Argyris and Don Schön. An early version of it appears in their 1974 book Theory in Practice: Increasing Professional Effectiveness. Argyris uses it in several other books including: Reasoning, Learning and Action; Action Science; Knowledge for Action; and Overcoming Organizational Defenses. The version printed here is modeled after Rick Ross and Art Kleiner [1994. The Left-Hand Column. p. 246 ff. in Senge, Peter, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, Bryan Smith and Art Kleiner. The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization. Currency Doubleday, NY.]

Developmental Coaching

The best way to create a two-column exercise for developmental coaching is to have the client read or listen to their session and take notes in a two-column format--left for their comments; right for the actual session--on how they were feeling or thinking at the time when it was going on, as well as providing comments as they reflect now about what they said. Most of the time, it requires a transcript or audio recording to be available within a reasonable period of time.

One of the ways Argyris tries to get people to use the Two-column exercise is to recall a specific conversation where something specifically occurred that either went wrong or didn't go according to plan. He also recommends the two-column for use when conducting a strategy session ahead of time. Placing what you think will happen on the right.

Here's an excerpt from Teaching Smart People to Learn, HBR, May-June 1991

In a paragraph or so, the CEO described the meeting he intended to have with his direct reports to address the problem. Next, he divided the paper in half, and on the right-hand side of the page, he wrote a scenario for the meeting--much like the script for a movie or play--describing what he would say and how his subordinates would likely respond. On the left-hand side of the page, he wrote down any thoughts or feelings that he would be likely to have during the meeting, but that he wouldn't express for fear they would derail the discussion.

But instead of holding the meeting, the CEO analyzed this scenario with his direct reports. The case became the catalyst for a discussion in which the CEO learned several things about the way he acted with his management team.

There are many ways to utilize the two-column exercise in developmental coaching with executives and all of them listed are effective in creating the opportunity to test assumptions, reflect on one's self objectively and to discover what it is you're doing that can be sub-optimizing your relationships.

Here's a brief example from one of the session I audio-taped with an executive I was working with:

Client's Reflections on the session in a Two-column exercise	Actual coaching session
	coach: How are we doing?
Observation: This sure doesn’t read very well. Do I come across this disjointed? Here I’m providing an orientation to Mike for this discussion. I’m giving background to provide context for what I am talking about – why I am discussing this. I am trying to help him make meaning of what I am telling him.	client: Well we’re doing great Mike Some real insights this week to maybe put some things together You know I think the last two weeks we’ve been getting at some things about one I’m not as empathetic as I’d like to be particularly when I get stressed I think one of the things that gets to me is ambiguity and I feel like water and keep things kind of tide up so when things aren’t very clear to me I don’t understand things I get stressed and then I turn off outside and kind of disconnect from people and retreat in to myself. Well, I had the opportunity to go through a day of assessments and the assessments I completed were the Burkman assessments and it’s pretty interesting. It really kind of connected some dots for me and at the same it left me at a loss and I’d like to talk about that tonight the Dots were my usual behavior tends be creative I tend to be a bit on the people side and indirect communication vs. task and indirect communication Not a big surprise
Order, clarity, organization is important to me – that is my logic – sequential thinking, if not cause and effect analysis.	Typically that’s where I tend to be Usual behavior. Also it’s close to the task side and indirect communication in some ways it’s close to but I’m not completely into that quadrant very organized orderly linear thinking I like logic I like things to be to be nice and neat I’m not quite in there but I’m very close to that. And I think that really kind of connected the dots for me My style when under stress is to go direct communication task oriented and basically just kind of turn off I run over people’s feelings that’s a common characteristic of this style kind of get real focused and almost ignore people. Just get very busy and for me that often looks like busy internally. Now what do I do with all that? The issue tonight is how can I work on that?
Can I really change my behavior? How easy or hard will it be? Should I even work on this? Here I’m looking for answers from Mike or at least questions to help me consider the importance and implications of taking action.	I think there are some things that are maybe that’s just the way we are our personality is kind of set and something maybe are open to change I’m wondering if that’s not just kind of set behavior and if it is can I do anything about it and if I can do something about it to stop the behavior how do I go about changing that?

I encourage people to try out the two-column exercise in their own developmental journey, it is amazing what results will come from this kind of work.