Are you:
able, accepting, adaptable, bold, brave, calm,
caring, cheerful, clever, complex, confident,
dependable, dignified, energetic, extroverted,
friendly, giving, happy, helpful, idealistic,
independent, ingenious, intelligent, introverted,
kind, knowledgeable, logical, loving, mature,
modest, nervous, observant, organized, patient,
powerful, proud, quiet, reflective, relaxed,
religious, responsive, searching, self-assertive,
self-conscious, sensible, sentimental, shy, silly,
smart, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense,
trustworthy, warm, wise, witty
If you had to pick five or six of these 56 adjectives, which would you pick? Equally important, which would your friends or your colleagues pick?
Match and Mismatch
If the match were perfect, then your whole life would be an open book. But more likely, there will be some aspects of your personality that are hidden from other people – adjectives no one but you would pick. Likewise, there are usually characteristics that people will see in you, that you are blind to.
Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham
This exercise was developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955, to examine how to help us extend the area of shared understanding between ourselves and the people we communicate with.
The model they produced is powerful; the Johari Window. Luft named it from a contraction of their first names, Joseph and Harry (Harrington); JoHari. The mid word capitalisation (a ‘camel’ word) was ahead of recent typographical fashion by 40 years, but it was soon dropped.
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The Johari Window
The window has four panes, derived from the knowledge or lack of it that we have about ourselves, and that others have about us.
The Arena
The Open area represents what we and the people around us all know about ourselves. These are the matched adjectives This is shared knowledge and is the basis of effective communication. Luft and Ingham worked from the assumption that the more of our life that is in this quadrant, the better our relationships will be.
The Facade
In the Hidden area is the information we keep from the world. It is what I have not revealed to you about myself. It may be trivial facts about my hobbies, deeply personal feelings, or past history that I am embarrassed or secretive about.
The Blind Spot
In the Blind area, people around us can recognise traits, habits or characteristics, to which we, ourselves, are oblivious. These may be strengths or failings.
The Unknown Area
Finally, there is the Unknown zone, representing characteristics that neither we nor other people are aware of. Perhaps these things are repressed; perhaps simply un-expressed, like latent capabilities.
Uses of the Johari Window
There is a wide range of uses for this model, in coaching, training, organisational development and therapy. The latent capabilities in the blind spot represent a powerful opportunity for coaches, whilst supressed emotions may be the very focus of therapeutic interventions. Unsurprisingly, this is a popular model among trainers, facilitators and coaches, but beware: if you do uncover repressed components, leave them be. They should be addressed with great care, by qualified therapists.
Opening the windows
Some use the metaphor of windows into four rooms in our lives. We can choose which to open and which rooms to expand. Most commonly, we can enhance our knowledge of ourselves by seeking feedback, and making use of the insights others have. We can also increase our self-awareness by processes of self discovery, while a group discovery process can open up the Unknown area to both ourselves and the group.
When we want to be more open about ourselves, we can disclose information about ourselves to other people, removing it from the hidden area.
So here’s the deal
The Johari Window has multiple uses, but is most often used to help teams get to know each other better.
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