Positive, Negative, Interesting - Learning to Think

I was still in elementary school when one day our teacher announced that, instead of our regular class, we would engage in a new project entitled ‘Learning to Think’.

The prospect instantly shattered the ennui of the class, allowing us to work in boisterous groups, so we dived into it with gusto, not knowing that we were given the building blocks of one of the most useful and versatile tools in decision making, one that would stay with us for the rest of our lives.

The ‘Positive, Negative, Interesting’ method - also known as ‘Plus, Minus, Interesting’-, was devised by the psychologist and philosopher Edward de Bono, creator of the term ‘Lateral Thinking’, which encourages creative thinking, and a fervent advocate of teaching critical thinking in schools.

PNI is a deceivingly simple but effective brainstorming method for objective analysis and reflection. It allows to see many aspects of a situation at once, so that we can analyse them objectively and come up with a learned conclusion.

Aside from its usefulness in decision making, the PNI exercise helps to foster analytical abilities and the use of critical thinking. Due to its inclusive nature, with little limitations, the PNI method is designed to open up the critical thinking of each participant and encourage the elaboration of creative solutions.

When applied correctly, the PNI method helps balance all arguments, and allows us to discover elements and factors that may have been overlooked at first or even at second glance.

In fact, PNI is a method that permits to examine ideas, concepts and events from more than one perspective, helping to consider them more broadly.

Moreover, the versatility of the PNI method allows it to be practised either individually or in groups.

Due to all this and its usefulness in decision making, its use has become extensive, from educational settings at all levels to corporate environments.

For instance, in primary schools, the PNI exercise help students to learn the rudiments of critical thinking, as well as the organization of ideas, team work, respect and tolerance to other people’s arguments and points of view, etc.

At the high school and college level, the PNI method can help students reflect on issues, analyse hypothetical or real situations, articulate their arguments, present opinions clearly and strengthen harmonious team work.

In a language class setting, the PNI method can be adapted as a speaking activity, as a tool to encourage vocabulary build up and aid in verbal expression, either in group or individual classes.

At the corporate level, the PNI method is often used to evaluate a process, product or event, as well as to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

As such, this useful strategy is often used as a decision making tool, and it’s specially helpful when, even after much consideration, a decision on certain topic can’t be met.

The steps for PNI are simple:
1 - Decide on a specific issue or topic to analyse.
2 - Proceed to write down in three separate columns the positive, negative and interesting factors of the subject. The interesting factors are those which aren’t intrinsically positive or negative but have a potential to be. Write as many ideas as possible, regardless of how crazy or simple they may seem.
3 - When no more ideas come up, proceed to start analysing them. If done in groups, the brainstorming could be followed by a debate, which would further the analysis and the explanations of each point.
4 - After analysing and discussing all the points, come up with a decision or conclusion.

For example, Monica needs to decide whether she should continue to work from home, or go back to work in an office. Both alternatives present positive, negative and interesting factors, such as the following:

Positive:
+ If I work from home I can wake up late
+ If I work from home I can work in comfortable clothes
+ I can save money in clothes, make up, gas and take out
etc.

Negative:
- Working from home can be distracting
- I can’t detach from work stress when I work from home
- I feel isolated working on my own
etc.

Interesting:
! The time I save in the commute can be used for other activities
! I could eat healthier foods staying home (if I cook)
etc.

Note: when weighing out two contrasting options, as in this example, make sure to create separate PNI columns for each option, so as to see the results more clearly in the end.
Also, if done in groups, it is important to count with a neutral moderator in order to conduct the debate of the ideas and the activity in general.

When the exercise is completed, the number of negative or positive factors may outweigh the other, indicating a probable outcome. However, the interesting factors may also weigh in, tipping the final decision to either end.

In the end, with all the factors clearly laid out, it’s the choice of the individual (or the group) to decide what is more important for him/her in the specific situation.

When done in group, the PNI exercise can lend itself to an exciting cognitive activity, in which also converge dialogue, debate and collaboration.

However, the topic to be analysed must be specific and of interest to those involved in the discussion, particularly when the PNI is done in groups, or the results of the exercise will not be optimal.

Also, it’s important to keep an open and objective mind frame when writing down the all the positive, negative and interesting aspects of the analysed subject, or else the exercise will fail to render the appropriate results.

For instance, if Monica omits negative aspects of her job setting situation, and instead adds subjective positive aspects to one of them, her final decision will be biased by a personal pre-conception.

In corporate environments, each PNI factor may also receive a value (from lowest to highest preponderance), but this added grading demands an even higher degree of objectivity.

Also in corporate environments, the PNI method can be furthered by other decision making techniques, such as a Decision Matrix Analysis or a Decision Tree Analysis, when a more detailed dissection of the problem is required.

The PNI method is not only a useful tool for decision making, but also a fun exercise to do in groups to encourage critical thinking.

If you ever come up with a conundrum about something you can’t decide about no matter how much you think about it, PNI is a simple method that may help you sort out the pros and cons, in order to come up with an objective decision.  


Sources: GDHR, Whatis.techtarget.com, virtuallibrary.info, mindtools.com