Call it an experiment

Framing something new as an experiment can make change easier

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that if you want to introduce something new
and you aren't completely confident in it yet, just call

(00:24):
it an experiment. That way, no one will expect perfection.
You invite helpful feedback because hey, it's an experiment, and
if the experiment is a major change in how people
were doing things, they might not feel as stressed or
be as resentful as they might be if it were

(00:44):
presented as a permanent change. So I know of a
wonderful cook who does what she calls beta tests. Anytime
she tries a new recipe, and she often does, she
presents it as a beta test. That is, she mays,
is it clear that the recipe is a work in progress.
She is not promising that the dish will be delicious,

(01:07):
but she is hopeful that it might be good, and
in the meantime, she is happy to share the dish
and invite feedback so she can keep making it better.
Framing something new as a beta test, an experiment, or
a prototype can be helpful in lots of contexts. Basically,
anytime you try something new, and perhaps a little risky.

(01:30):
You can think of it in this way. A teacher
might experiment with a talking stick for students to share
airtime during discussions. She could tell her students why she
thinks the talking stick may be helpful, and then invite
their feedback after they've used it for a few discussions.
A department leader might use a new team meeting agenda

(01:52):
presented as an experiment, and afterwards ask everyone what they
thought about having the meeting structured in a new way.
Perhaps a librarian has an idea for a new program
where avid readers come together and each of them spends
five minutes recommending a book to the group, and everybody
leaves with ideas of books they would enjoy reading. You

(02:13):
could describe the first meeting as a prototype, implying that
it is not in its final form yet and letting
the participants share ideas for refining it. Even in your
family life, you could reframe new approaches as experiments. You
could experiment with not eating meat on weekdays. You could

(02:34):
experiment with a new school day morning routine, or with
how chores are assigned, or with giving your kids their
allowance in a different way. Everybody is more relaxed about
an experiment because the change isn't necessarily permanent, and you
feel free to make any tweaks that you need to.
After all, you are just trying it out. When you

(02:57):
frame something as an experiment, you manage exceptions, and you
position everyone else as partners and helping you evaluate and
refine or discard the new approach. It's a great way
to lower the risks and stress of making a change
because sometimes it turns out that things don't work. But
now you know, and if parts work and parts don't,

(03:21):
you know what you can keep and what should be discarded.
Your next iteration will probably work better, or you might
go back to what you were doing, but you won't
always wonder, and that can be a good thing. In
the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

(03:42):
to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening
to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
you can reach me at Laura at Laura VANDERCAMDA. Before

(04:06):
Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows,