Its important to make a distinction between an assessment (when its neither true or false) and an assertion (when it could be true or false). To be true it must be observable or verifiable as a fact.

Practices

1. Take 10 minutes after an important meeting to think about the assessments you made to win an argument that you cannot verify.

2. What did you make of the assertions being made. What the evidence strong enough?  Can you think of an example and whet impact this had on your judgement or decision.

3. Think  of 3 major situations that overwhelmed you in the past where you were totally consumed by your own assessment of the events. What stories were you telling yourself that caused the overwhelm? What alternative stories could you have told yourself.

4. What stories do you tell about yourself. How do you ground them?

5. What assessment do you make about the different people in your life, such as your partner, children, parents, siblings. manager, friends? Try and ground these assessments.

   CLARIFY FOR THE SAKE OF WHAT IS THE STATEMENT BEING MADE?

   If the statement has no implications for future action, yet they can have an impact on how other people might perceive themselves, you or the situation referred to as a possible consequence.

   CLARIFY IF ANY TRUE ASSERTIONS ARE BEING MADE TO SUPPORT AN ASSESSMENT. 

   Often assessments are based on assessments and dismissed because of who was saying it, even when some true assertions could support the assessment. The opposite can also happen when assertions are not accepted because conclusions differ.

   CLARIFY THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE STATEMENT IS BEING MADE

   People like to create stories that make sense to them that become their truth, but are not relevant in the context being considered.

   CLARIFY THE STANDARD BEING USED TO JUSTIFY THE STATEMENTS

   Conversations can be unproductive when assessment s are being made based on different standards

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Support Information 

Comparing Assessments and Assertions 

The following statements are made to make you feel they might be true, but are a matter of opinion. For example:

• I can’t do that

• That’s an impossible target

• I can only succeed when I can  . . . .

• That’s a daunting task

• If only I had (this) I could do (that)

• I’m not a morning person

• They are so annoying

If these statement could be verified in a way that is verifiable, they would be assertions.

ASSERTIONS

• Are claims of facts that can be verified

• Belong to the thing being observed

• Can either be true or false

• Are about past or present events

• When the language is descriptiv

• Not influenced by moods and emotions

ASSESSMENTS

• Are opinions or judgements

• Different observers can have different opinions

• Cannot be verified as true but can be justified from evidence

• Say more about the observer than the thing being observed

• Have everything to do with  assumptions about the future

• The language is creative and often exaggerated

• Greatly influenced by moods and emotions

CONSIDER:

• Peter came 1 hour late for work  -v-  Peter is not a disciplined person 

• John dropped the bottle. -v- John is clumsy

• Your target is £2 million. -v- This target is impossible

Assessments tend to dominate conversation as shorthand statements that go unquestioned. They can often be found in information that’s been deleted or distorted so it lacks detail from which to clarify the facts. The diagram below provides an example.