This was presented for the Association of Leadership Educators annual conference as a highly interactive session in which participants gained experience in applying three practices - Working from Observation, Attributing Reasonableness, and Speaking with Authenticity (OBREAU) - to support conversations for change on tough issues. We began with discussion of a scenario applicable to leadership educators and used the scenario to introduce and illustrate the practices of the OBREAU Tripod. Then, participants applied the practices to personal leadership-related challenges they face and discussed the results in small groups. Large group discussion explored implications, opportunities and challenges for leadership action. Participants benefited through exposure to a framework they can utilize for more mindful, creative and deep-reaching engagement with others on virtually any tough issue.

1. The OBREAU Tripod:
A Tool for Finding Gold
Among the Rubble
Presented by
Eric K. Kaufman, Virginia Tech
Don Dunoon, New Futures

2. What’s Your View of Politics?
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3. Objectives for this Session
• Recognize default patterns of interaction that can derail
efforts toward shared leadership and productive
conversations on tough issues;
• Be able to identify and describe the three practices
associated with the OBREAU Tripod: Working from
Observation, Attributing Reasonableness, and
Speaking with Authenticity;
• Highlight opportunities for application of the OBREAU
Tripod in leadership education; and
• Apply the OBREAU Tripod in connection with a
personal leadership challenge.

4. Connecting with Don Dunoon
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5. The OBREAU Tripod:
Enabling challenging conversations
• Observation
• Reasonableness
• Authenticity
Three practices to support
challenging
conversations for groups
and individuals
– on virtually any topic
where there are
differences of view
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6. The Tripod is an Antidote,
Counterpoint to 3 Default Behaviors
Working from
negative and
untested
assumptions
about others
Responding as if
“we know” what
the issue is
Side-stepping or
sugar-coating
what needs to be
talked about

7. Working from
Observation
Noticing – as far as possible
without immediately reacting
and judging
Asking what is directly
discernible – as distinct from
inference and conclusion
Intention is to open up
possibilities; give ourselves a
stronger platform to speak
from; e.g. “Here’s what I
notice. What do you see?”

8. Attributing
Reasonableness
Imagining what the issue
might look like to those
involved, allowing that
they can be reasonable in
this instance
Here the focus is below
the waterline of the
iceberg
The purpose is to develop
possible interpretations to
enable testing and
exploration

9. Speaking with
Authenticity
Contemplating what is true
for you on this issue
Speaking to this while also
connecting with observation,
and holding open that others
are acting reasonably
You can say pretty much
whatever you like (including
asking questions) providing it
is:
•True for you
•Consistent with presuming
reasonableness
•Connected with observation

10. Benefits of using the Tripod
• Helps get beyond routine, default behavior
patterns
• Opens up new ways of seeing and framing issues
(through Observation)
• Fosters practical empathy (through
Reasonableness)
• Supports modeling of desired behaviors (through
Authenticity emphasis)
• Aids in making headway with issues that can
otherwise seem intractable

11. Case: Yale Protests & Fallout
10/27/15 – Email from Intercultural Affairs Council about Halloween
costumes
10/30/15 – Email response from Erika Christakis, associate master of
Silliman College
11/05/15 – Student protestor confronts Nicholas Christakis,
demanding resignation
11/17/15 – University president and dean of college email
reaffirmation of support for Christakises
12/04/15 - Erika resigns from her teaching role & Nicholas
announces a sabbatical for Spring 2016
05/24/16 - Nicholas and Erika resign from their roles with Silliman
College to “pursue academic work full time”
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12. 12

13. Don Dunoon 2008-16. OBREAU Tripod Worksheet A3 4.3. The OBREAU Tripod is based on concepts in Don Dunoon’s book In the Leadership Mode, 2008. For more
information see www.dondunoon.com. This worksheet is licensed under Creative Common Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Applying the OBREAU T r i p o d
Enabling dialogue, engagement with others and c h a l l e n g i n g c o n v e r s a t i o n s
B r ie f outline of an in t e r p e r s o n a l or group / inter-group c o m m u n ic a t io n s -
r e la t e d is s u e o r c h a lle n g e currently being f a c e d :
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14. Don Dunoon 2008-16. OBREAU Tripod Worksheet A3 4.3. The OBREAU Tripod is based on concepts in Don Dunoon’s book In the Leadership Mode, 2008. For more
information see www.dondunoon.com. This worksheet is licensed under Creative Common Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
O b s e r v a t i o n Reasonableness Authenticity
The work here to identify, and record, a few key
elements that are directly observable, noticeable –
as distinct from inference or conclusion.
We’re in effect trying to “peel away” our
interpretations and judgments to get to what could
be seen / heard directly. We can then potentially
hold some of these data out to others for response.
Try thinking about what an “invisible observer”
could conceivably notice (that might include some of
your own actions!). If the issue were an iceberg,
what might be "above the waterline"?
Focus particularly on observations that seem
interesting and potentially open to different
interpretations.
This aspect requires you to switch perspectives
and look at the issue from the standpoint of others,
allowing that they are reasonable in this instance.
(This is never about judging others.)
Focus first on the individual/group that you most
want to engage with. Ask, and make notes about,
what this stakeholder, acting reasonably, might be:
• Assuming (taking as given, true)
• Interested in (valuing, wanting to advance or
protect)
• Feeling (emotions they might be experiencing)
• Having relevant knowledge or experience in.
Then, repeat the process for other stakeholders.
The challenge here is to find words that: are true for
you, are consistent with allowing others are
reasonable, and make some connection with
observation. Remember, you are preparing for a
conversation, not writing a script.
First, to gain more insight into what is true for you,
think about and make notes on your own relevant
assumptions, interests, feelings and knowledge.
Then, consider and write down what might be:
• A neutral introduction to the topic
• One or more observations you could share
• Some questions you might ask (e.g. to check
or explore observations, or to test
interpretations allowing reasonableness)
• What else you might say that matters to you –
and that is consistent with reasonableness and
connects with observations.
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15. Time Remaining:
Jot notes about the Yale case, organizing
them by each leg of the Tripod:
•Observation,
•Reasonableness
•Authenticity

16. Imagine the issue or challenge as an iceberg.
Observation focuses on what’s more explicit about the issue,
what can be seen directly, what’s above the waterline.

17. Imagining what could be “going on” for stakeholders,
presuming they are reasonable, in 4 dimensions: their
possible hidden / unspoken assumptions, interests,
feelings, and knowledge regarding this issue

19. What’s Your Challenge?
• Unreasonable professor?
• Increased demands at work?
• Child demanding increased freedom?
• Changes to program budget/funding model?
• Organization leaders refusing responsibility?
• Poor attendance record of colleague/student?
• Demographic discrimination?
• Unsatisfactory political candidates?
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20. Share your issue or challenge, holding all
three legs of the Tripod.
Coach your partner on opportunities to
improve Observation and Reasonableness.
Time Remaining:

21. Benefits of the Tripod?
• Helps get beyond routine, default behavior
patterns
• Opens up new ways of seeing and framing
issues (through Observation)
• Fosters practical empathy (through
Reasonableness)
• Supports modeling of desired behaviors
(through Authenticity emphasis)
• Aids in making headway with issues that can
otherwise seem intractable
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22. Desired College Outcomes
(Hart Research Associates, 2015)
“Nearly all employers
(96%) agree that,
regardless of their chosen
field of study, all students
should have experiences
in college that teach them
how to solve problems
with people whose views
are different from their
own.”
“Indeed, employers nearly
universally agree that to
achieve success at their
companies, a candidate’s
demonstrated capacity to
think critically,
communicate clearly, and
solve complex programs is
more important than his or
her undergraduate major.”
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23. How Will You Use the OBREAU
Tripod?
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24. Do you want discussion to be
Vanilla or Neapolitan?
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25. What Questions Remain?
Eric K. Kaufman
EKK@VT.Edu
www.DonDunoon.com

26. OBREAU Tripod content licensed under Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
See www.dondunoon.com
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