One April Saturday afternoon I stood on the balcony of my hotel room on the 23rd floor. I had a narrow, yet fascinating view of the port of Tampa. What a remarkable difference I noticed as I saw some of the same things from the 23rd floor and the third floor. It taught me a lesson on changing my perspective.
Show: Port of Tampa slide.
Click here for access to the slides.
Port of Tampa
Ask: what do you see?
Possible answers: Office buildings, condos and apartment buildings, sidewalks, streets, water, bridge, ships, Amalie Arena
Say: Let’s focus our attention on the cruise ship located in the top right of the picture.
Show: Carnival Paradise cruise ship slide.
Carnival Paradise Cruise Ship
Say: this is a view of the Carnival Paradise cruise ship. It’s docked at the Port of Tampa and is preparing for departure.
Ask: What do you notice about the cruise ship?
Possible answers: stern view, loading supplies, colorful water slides
Prompt: if no one mentions its size, prompt participants to comment on it. Ask participants to look at the ship in comparison to the rest of the landscape. If needed, go back to the Port of Tampa slide to see the ship in comparison to nearby buildings.
Answer: the assumption is that the ship is big, but from the viewpoint in the Port of Tampa slide, the ship does not look particularly large or impressive.
Show: Carnival Paradise Leaving Port of Tampa
Carnival Paradise Leaving Port of Tampa
Say: now let’s take a look at the same cruise ship as it leaves the Port of Tampa.
Ask: What do you notice about the cruise ship?
Possible answers: side view, looks much larger
Ask: is this ship larger than you expected when you saw it from the previous slide?
Answer: the assumption is that the ship looks considerably larger in the picture showing it leave the Port of Tampa than it did in the previous photo, as it was docked at the Port of Tampa.
Ask: why does the ship look larger in this slide than the previous slide?
Possible answer: perspective has changed, more eye level, seeing the ship from stem to stern where previous slides showed the stern view
Say: the picture of the ship in the first slide was taken from the 23rd floor of a downtown hotel. The picture of the ship next to the condo building was taken from the third floor of the same hotel.
Ask: given what you see in these pictures from the 23rd and third floor, what analogy can you make about what you saw?
Note: allow time for participants to answer, forming an analogy can take time.
Possible answers:
- When we see something from a higher vantage point, things appear smaller. By comparison, when we see things at eye level, they appear much larger.
- Looking at something from a big picture perspective is quite different than looking at the same thing up close.
- Seeing things from a different angle changes our impression.
Say: we often face challenges that can overwhelm us or seem insurmountable.
Ask: When you think about those things that challenge you, what can you learn from the change in perspective, as we saw with the cruise ship, to alter how you see your challenges?
Possible answers:
- Looking at something too closely can make it seem overwhelming or impossible.
- Looking at something from a big picture view point can put things into a more manageable perspective.
Ask: how could you apply this to your life?
Note: allow time for participants to answer, forming a life application can take time.
Possible answers: chose how to look at things, make a conscience choice to maintain a positive attitude, keep things in perspective, look at things from a different angle to change perceptions
Ask: as a leader, how could you apply this as you lead your team?
Possible answers: look at things differently, consider the perspectives that others have, ask others to share their perspective, coach team members to look at challenges from a big picture viewpoint
Say: I encourage you to be aware of how you see things that challenge you. Consciously choose to keep things in perspective. When you feel overwhelmed, consider your perspective and adjust how you feel.