The Power of Information in a Thinking Environment
How accurate, timely information supports independent thinking
Continuing on from my previous blog on Encouragement, in this series on the Thinking Environment, I share my thoughts and experiences on the component of Information in this one.
Summary
Information is one of the ten components of a Thinking Environment, as defined by Nancy Kline. In this reflection, I explore how the idea of full and accurate information intersects with spiritual teachings, leadership practice, and the wider state of our world. I share three key takeaways from Nancy’s work—on offering, seeking, and using information thoughtfully—and how they show up in my own facilitation and coaching. In a world increasingly shaped by misinformation, the Thinking Environment offers a quiet kind of hope.
Information: A Gateway to Integrity in Thinking
In Nancy Kline’s Time to Think, she describes Information as one of the key components of a Thinking Environment. Her definition is clear and striking:
“Absorbing all the relevant facts. Full and accurate information results in intellectual integrity.”
We rely on information of many kinds to make decisions. When that information is incomplete or incorrect, the quality of our thinking suffers—we can get trapped in denial or skewed perception. On the other hand, full and accurate information has the power to dismantle denial and build a rich, truthful foundation for independent thought.
❝ The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
— Flannery O’Connor
What This Means to Me
Nancy’s view resonates deeply with teachings I’ve encountered elsewhere. In my spiritual school of Pranic Healing & Arhatic Yoga, one of the five key character qualities to cultivate is accurate perception and correct expression. Similarly, in Buddhist philosophy, the very first instruction in the Eightfold Path is Right Viewpoint. Across traditions, the message is clear: if we get our perception wrong, everything that follows is built on shaky ground.
So providing or helping unravel information becomes key to robust independent thinking.
3 Key Takeways
Nancy’s approach to this component highlights three aspects that have stayed with me, especially in the context of a Thinking Session.
1. Information Should Not Disrupt the Thinking Environment
Even when it’s essential to provide information to a thinker, we must do so without interrupting their thinking process. A simple but powerful guideline:
Wait until the thinker finishes their thought before offering information.
I’ve realized how often I’m tempted to jump in quickly—to offer insight or share what I know. The “zing” Nancy mentions is real! But holding back creates more space for the thinker’s own clarity to emerge. It’s a capability I’m committed to strengthening.
2. Sometimes, We May Need to Seek Information—from the Thinker
This idea was new for me. I hadn’t really considered that I might ask a thinker for information—not to satisfy my curiosity, but only if doing so would support their thinking.
Nancy offers a helpful filter:
Ask for information only if it will help the thinker think well.
I continue to explore this in my work. I find that frequently, clients will find a new direction of thought or be able to make a decison with mroe clarity and confidence, if the Information prompt was in service of supporting their thinking.
3. Information Helps Dismantle Denial
One of Nancy’s definitions that stunned me with its clarity is:
“Denial is the assumption that what is true is not true.”
It struck a chord. So much of poor decision-making, conflict, or inertia—in teams and in society—comes not from malice but from denial: of facts, trends, or inconvenient truths.
The Time to Think book methodology two piercing questions that I keep returning to, especially in leadership contexts:
What is staring me in the face that I’m not confronting?
What do we already know that we are going to find out in a year?
These questions are deceptively simple and profoundly effective. I’ve used them with team members and in coaching sessions to prompt honest reflection. When asked in a genuine Thinking Environment, they often unlock surprising insights—and truth that has quietly been waiting to be acknowledged.
But this leads to a wider reflection: Where does true information come from? In a world flooded with noise, what we absorb shapes how we think. Which is why we must not only reflect personally but also collectively on our sources of truth.
Facilitator Reflections
In facilitation, this component often shows up for me in group spaces where decisions are being made or ideas generated. I’ve learned to create room before any thinking begins to share relevant context—updates, data, recent shifts—anything the group needs to know.
Sometimes, I also offer new or updated information after a round of thinking and before conclusions are drawn, especially if earlier thinking was based on outdated facts.
A Wider Lens
On a societal level, I find this component increasingly urgent. The erosion of truthful, reliable information—and the rapid spread of disinformation—has real consequences. It shapes perceptions, polarizes societies, and distorts reality at scale. We’re seeing it unfold in politics, religion, economics—across the board.
We’re living through a time when the very fabric of shared reality is fraying. Disinformation spreads faster than ever. Sensationalism often gets more visibility than sober analysis. And algorithms tend to reinforce what we already believe, not what we need to know.
Accurate, level-headed, and independent journalism—whether investigative, explanatory, or data-driven—plays a vital role in dismantling societal denial. Without it, collective thinking environments become polluted.
Think of:
The early denial of climate change despite decades of scientific evidence, only now gaining urgency due to consistent data and responsible reporting.
The misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, where timely, evidence-based journalism saved lives—but also had to fight against a tide of conspiracy and confusion.
These are just a few reminders that clarity of perception depends on clarity of information. And that doesn’t just apply to national headlines—it matters in boardrooms, brainstorms, and feedback conversations too.
And yet, this is where the Thinking Environment gives me hope.
If more people are supported to think for themselves—independently, clearly, and without interruption—we may collectively begin to discern truth from noise. That feels like the only real path to stability, clarity, and meaningful progress.
Keep Thinking
If this reflection resonated with you, I’d love for you to notice the role of information in your own thinking—or in the spaces you hold for others.
Perhaps you can begin by just taking a moment today to ask: What do I already know that I am not facing?
Let’s keep building environments where truth can quietly emerge.
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Illustration Credit: Image created using Gen AI