#127: How to Make Invisible Thinking Visible

Get 20% off any STSI course with code OOT20 — become a systems thinker today!In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explain the power of OOTing: object-oriented thinking.They explore why getting ideas out of your head and into visible, movable objects—whether blocks, drawings, sticky notes, whiteboards, or even visual objects in your mind—can dramatically improve thinking, communication, and understanding. By making mental models visible, OOTing helps people stop conflating parts with wholes, see relationships more clearly, and build shared meaning with others.The conversation also breaks down why ordinary meetings often fail: people share information, but not the structure of their thinking. OOTing changes that by helping teams build a shared mental model in real time, reducing confusion and improving execution.If you want to think more clearly, communicate better, and get people truly on the same page, this episode gives you a practical systems thinking tool for making invisible ideas visible.