TDF patterns
The Six TDF Patterns: Facts, Choices and Connections
The six TDF patterns describe differences in what comes into focus. Start with the three lenses, compare their arrangements, then explore the guide for your pattern.
Three ways to notice the same situation
TDF describes three perceptual lenses: T for facts, D for choices and contrasts, and F for connections. Everyone uses all three. Their relative prominence forms a pattern.
Imagine a team considering a new project. One person notices missing information, another sees a promising direction, and another sees how the project affects existing commitments. Each concern adds something worth understanding. The lenses describe attention; they do not measure a person's abilities.
How to read your three-letter pattern
The first letter names the big lens, the second the middle lens, and the lowercase third letter the small lens. TDf, for example, gives facts the greatest prominence, followed by choices, with connections needing more deliberate attention.
Small does not mean absent. A lowercase f does not mean someone cannot care about others, just as a lowercase t does not indicate low intelligence. Each arrangement brings a useful perspective. There is no preferred pattern to aim for.
Compare the six lens arrangements
Two patterns can share a big lens and still differ in what receives attention next. TDf and TFd both begin with facts, but their middle and small lenses are reversed. Read across the table to see the full arrangement.
| Pattern | Big lens | Middle lens | Small lens |
|---|---|---|---|
| TDf | Facts | Choices | Connections |
| TFd | Facts | Connections | Choices |
| DTf | Choices | Facts | Connections |
| DFt | Choices | Connections | Facts |
| FDt | Connections | Choices | Facts |
| FTd | Connections | Facts | Choices |
Explore each pattern in everyday life
Each guide includes a practical example, possible contributions, information worth checking and an exercise for the small lens. Start with your result, then compare a neighboring pattern.
The TDf Pattern: Facts, Choices and a Clear Plan
Explore the TDf pattern: facts first, choices second, connections third. See a workplace example, communication advice and practical questions to try.
Read the pattern guide Pattern guideThe TFd Pattern: Understanding How the Pieces Fit
Understand the TFd pattern: facts, connections, then choices. Explore its careful approach, a decision-making example and ways to bring priorities into focus.
Read the pattern guide Pattern guideThe DTf Pattern: Clear Goals, Facts and Follow-Through
Explore the DTf pattern of choices, facts and connections. Understand its focused approach, communication needs and a practical way to check the wider context.
Read the pattern guide Pattern guideThe DFt Pattern: Choices, Connections and New Possibilities
Understand the DFt TDF pattern: how choices and connections shape what comes into focus, with a workplace example and practical ways to check the facts.
Read the pattern guide Pattern guideThe FDt Pattern: Connections, Participation and Possibility
Explore the FDt TDF pattern, from noticing changing connections to involving others. Includes an event-planning example and a practical small-T exercise.
Read the pattern guide Pattern guideThe FTd Pattern: Connections, Careful Attention and Continuity
Understand the FTd TDF pattern and its focus on connections and facts. Explore a workplace example, communication questions and ways to make choices clearer.
Read the pattern guidePut a pattern description to use
Choose one recent conversation and ask what you noticed first. Which facts, choices or connections became clear only after someone else mentioned them? Then try one small-lens practice from your guide in a similar situation.
A public description gives you questions to explore alongside your assessment report. It cannot establish someone's pattern from their job, tone of voice or one disagreement. For help with your own report, read what the TDF assessment measures and how to interpret your result.
Make room for another perspective
Ask a colleague, “What are you seeing that I may be missing?” Use the facts, choices and connections worksheet to make the answers concrete. You can also return to How TDF Works for the model's introduction.