Chunking · Pattern 8 of 13
Direction Selection
Choosing the direction of movement from the conversational objective, not by habit.
Recover: The right direction for the objective
What it is
TRAINER METHOD. Neither direction is better. “I need the training on weekends” can be chunked up (“For what purpose?”) to find flexibility, or down (“What specifically about the weekend works for you?”) to find the real constraint. Which is right depends entirely on what you are trying to do in the next minute of the conversation.
Recognition / tip-offs
What has been distorted, generalised or deleted
- Direction is a choice
- The objective determines the direction
- Habitual chunk size is a bias to notice, not a rule to obey
Client-language use
Practitioners have a default. Small chunkers interrogate detail forever; big chunkers float. Naming your own default is half the skill.
How to challenge it
Before asking, state the objective in one clause: 'I want agreement' → up. 'I want an action' → down. 'I want a fresh angle' → across.
- “What is my objective in the next question?”
- “Do I need broader, narrower or parallel?”
- “Which direction has this conversation not been in for a while?”
Practitioner judgement: challenge what is useful, not every pattern you can hear.
What to recover
Announce the direction to yourself, then move. Deliberate movement beats fluent drifting.
Client autonomy first — offer language the client can verify and decline.
Examples
““I need the training on weekends.” UP: “For what purpose?” DOWN: “What specifically about the weekend works for you?””
Missing Both defensible; the objective decides.
Common confusion and overlap
- Believing chunking up is 'the advanced one'
- Changing direction every question so nothing lands
- Asking without an objective and hoping something turns up
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