The Left-Hand Column Exercise
Surface the hidden thoughts sabotaging your conversations
The Left-Hand Column exercise is a reflective practice that makes visible the gap between what people say in conversations and what they actually think and feel. The technique involves writing out a recent difficult conversation in two columns: the right-hand column records what was actually said, while the left-hand column captures the unspoken thoughts, feelings, assumptions, and judgments that were running through your mind during the exchange.
The exercise reveals that most professionals maintain a running internal commentary that is vastly more honest, emotionally charged, and assumption-laden than anything they voice aloud. This gap between espoused behavior and actual thinking is not merely a communication problem; it is the primary mechanism by which defensive routines are maintained and genuine learning is blocked. When people chronically withhold their real thinking, conversations become rituals of politeness that never address the actual issues.
The transformative potential of the exercise lies not in simply revealing hidden thoughts but in using them as a resource for improving future conversations. By examining why you withheld certain thoughts, what assumptions drove your internal reactions, and how your unspoken judgments may have influenced the conversation's outcome through subtle signals, you can redesign your approach to difficult conversations.
- The gap between what you think and what you say is not a sign of dishonesty but a learned survival strategy that also prevents genuine learning.
- Your left-hand column is a rich resource for understanding your own assumptions, not a weapon for exposing others' shortcomings.
- Some left-hand column thoughts should remain unvoiced; the internal censor often has genuine wisdom about what would cause harm rather than learning.
- The most powerful learning comes not from revealing your left-hand column to others, but from examining why you felt the need to hide it.
- Choose a Difficult ConversationSelect a recent interpersonal difficulty: a disagreement you cannot resolve, a colleague not pulling their weight, a change being resisted, or a situation where you feel your views are being ignored. Write a brief paragraph describing what you are trying to accomplish and what is blocking you.Pro tipChoose something with emotional charge. The exercise is most powerful when applied to conversations that genuinely frustrate you.
- Write the Right-Hand ColumnRecord the dialogue that actually occurred, or write the dialogue you believe would occur if you raised the issue. Write it as a script with alternating lines. Leave the left-hand column blank until the right-hand column is complete. Let the script extend for several exchanges to capture the full dynamic.Pro tipWrite the dialogue from memory without editing for how you wish it had gone. Raw accuracy matters more than eloquence.
- Fill In the Left-Hand ColumnGo back through the dialogue and write what you were actually thinking and feeling at each point. Include your assumptions about the other person, your emotional reactions, the things you wanted to say but held back, and the judgments you were making. Be brutally honest with yourself.Pro tipPay special attention to moments where your left-hand column and right-hand column are most divergent. These are the richest sites for learning.WarningThis step requires genuine honesty with yourself. If you sanitize your left-hand column, the exercise loses all its power.
- Reflect Using Diagnostic QuestionsAsk yourself: What really led me to think and feel this way? What was I trying to accomplish? Did I achieve my intended results? How might my comments have contributed to the difficulties? Why did I not say what was in my left-hand column? What assumptions am I making about the other person? What were the costs and payoffs of operating this way?Pro tipPut the case away for a week and then reread it. Distance provides clarity about your own patterns that immediacy obscures.
- Redesign the ConversationRewrite the conversation as you might have held it. How could your right-hand column bring important left-hand column thinking to the surface? How could you reveal your thoughts in a way that promotes inquiry rather than defensiveness? Consider showing selected parts to the other person as a way to break through an impasse.Pro tipUse language like 'I notice I am making an assumption about this, and I want to check it with you' to bring left-hand column material into the open safely.WarningDo not approach this as a way to finally clear the air and dump your resentments. The purpose is mutual understanding, not catharsis.
Jim, an R&D project manager, writes a left-hand column case about a conversation with his supervisor Todd about a project running two months late. In the right-hand column, Jim speaks cooperatively about scheduling a meeting. In the left-hand column, Jim reveals he believes Todd's constant changes are the real cause of the delays but feels unable to say so. He strategizes about holding Todd off for two more weeks rather than addressing the root cause.
At a business unit meeting, a regional sales manager publicly declares that marketing is the biggest problem and he has been saying so for years. His left-hand column reads that he is the only responsible person raising this issue. Others' left-hand columns read that Bill is ranting again and refusing to take responsibility. If everyone simply dumped their left-hand columns, it would escalate into mutual accusation.
The Left-Hand Column exercise is based on the two-column research method developed by Chris Argyris and Donald Schon, first presented in their seminal 1974 book Theory in Practice. Argyris used the technique for decades in his research at Harvard, asking executives to write case studies of difficult conversations and then analyzing the gap between what they said and what they thought.
Argyris discovered that even the most skilled professionals consistently produced left-hand columns filled with untested attributions and self-protective strategies. Rick Ross and Art Kleiner adapted the exercise for the Fieldbook with practical guidance, while Robert Putnam of Action Design added important cautions about the risks of the exercise when used without skilled facilitation.