Thinking
Welcome to the lemus&co blog—your gateway to the innovative projects we’re crafting, the ideas we’re exploring, and the hypotheses we’re testing. Join us on this journey of discovery and growth as we share our latest insights and learnings.
#18: How to increase engagement in the first 90 seconds of a meeting
I am going to share 4 ideas on how I increase team engagement during the first 90 seconds of meetings.
Recently, I went to a 50 person party hosted by a friend. When I walked in, I was greeted by a sea of strangers having side conversations leaving me feeling unsure where to go or what to do. I felt nervous, until I built up the confidence to navigate through the crowd, grab a drink and self-soothe to orient myself. Nobody welcomed me.
The same uncomfortableness can happen when people arrive to a meeting. Thoughts that go through our head:
Should I go off mute?
Why is Margaret in this meeting?
Everyone is silent. I guess I will turn my camera off and wait
Marcus is running late. great. Let me catch up on my emails.
Ugh, my kids’ toys are in the background - I wonder if people are judging me…
Wait, what is this meeting even about?
Meeting leaders miss a critical moment to create connection
Just like we want to feel welcomed when we arrive to a party, it is our responsibility as kickass facilitators to shift participants from being nervous and awkward to feeling welcomed and connected.
Unfortunately, most meeting hosts miss that first 90 seconds because:
they feel like they have to wait for everyone to get started
they feel like the meeting needs to be productive and there is no time for “ice breakers”
they forget that trust and connection are the foundation for effective problem solving
they don’t have tools and frameworks prepared to create a moment of connection
Here are 4 ways to overcome these barriers and bring a moment of engagement and connection to the start of your meetings.
4 WAYS TO CREATE ENGAGEMENT IN THE FIRST 90 SECONDS
1. Ask people to share a relevant story
There is a purpose to your meeting. Ask people to tell a story or share a tool from their domain.
For instance, if you are a design team gathering business stakeholders to go over your latest round of research, you could start the meeting saying “OK as everyone is arriving to the meeting, I want you to describe the worst customer experience call you have ever been on”
If you are an accountant, you can ask people for their favorite Excel function and why
If you are doing quarterly planning, ask people to share a vacation plan that went awry
This is the moment people can geek out, share their favorite tools, tell a story and create a moment of bonding. It sets the stage for the meeting at hand.
2. Play “Name that Tune”
Another way to create levity at the start of the meeting is to share your audio and play some popular, recognizable songs. Ask people to guess the name and artist and give people 1 point for each one they get right.
For those that have been in my workshops, you know I love this technique. Last week I shared 5 of my favorite playlists on LinkedIn to set the tone during a meeting. Here is the playlist for Meeting Arrival. I also like the “Songs to Sing to in the Shower” playlist on Spotify.
3. Guide a silent meditation:
Not every meeting needs to start high energy.
Ask people to take 30 seconds to close their eyes and breathe deeply while thinking about one person on the call and send them gratitude.
This is a simple but effective group technique to feel the people in the room and be in a space of giving and receiving gratitude.
Watch the shift in the room after 30 seconds.
4. Ask trivia questions using ChatGPT:
There is a reason why trivia nights are incredibly popular. They create team bonding and connection. I love asking a generative AI product like chatGPT to come up with some questions related to my meeting.
Here is prompt you can copy and paste:
“Hey ChatGPT, what are 10 funny and true trivia questions with multiple choice answers related to {meeting topic}? Share with me the correct answer for each question.”
Here is an example related to a change management meeting I attended:
What’s a common joke about consultants in change management?
A) They are the only ones who understand what's going on
B) They make more coffee than decisions
C) They borrow your watch to tell you the time
D) They love change because they get paid by the hour.
Correct Answer: C. Ha. Got me...
Bonus points: Divide people up in two teams and create a little competition!
Summary
The start of a meeting is a critical moment to set the tone for your time together. It is an opportunity to lean into your shared humanity, and create a vibrant experience that creates connection and sets the meeting up for success.
Less about icebreakers and introductions. More about arriving and feeling welcomed.
#17: How I influenced a $1B change initiative, as an outsider
I am going to share with you 3 steps to positively influence others by sharing an example from my work last week.
Whether we like it or not, we are constantly trying to influence each other at work. Designers strive to infuse creativity into business strategies, while business professionals push for efficiency and scale from product teams. We all want a seat at the table… and if that other team just understood how valuable we were!
Mastering the art of positive influence not only fosters trust and admiration but also mitigates conflicts, paving the way for inclusivity and cooperation.
Unfortunately, many leaders find themselves without the cherished partnerships they desire.
‘man-splaining’ never helps you build trust
There are many other reasons why leaders fail to have the influence they seek:
Failure to cultivate genuine empathy for other teams or departments.
Succumbing to defensiveness and perpetuating a negative cycle of conflict.
Relying solely on persuasive pitches, neglecting the nuances of genuine connection.
Luckily there are ways to overcome these problems and shift yourself during a meeting or workshop to influence internal partners to increase trust and collaboration.
Allow me to illustrate this with an example from my experiences this week…
3 STEPS TO INFLUENCE OTHERS
The $1B change mgmt workshop
Last week, I flew to Europe for a 4-day workshop to work on a $1B change initiative with a line of business at a Fortune 50 company.
Our objective? Nothing short of revolutionizing the work processes across multiple teams spanning business, product, technology, design, finance, and beyond. This is the first time this has ever been attempted in the company’s history.
My mission: To instill in business stakeholders the profound value of an exploratory, discovery-driven approach to work.
Here's how I influenced others during the workshop, as an outsider, in three strategic steps.
Step 1: Speak their language
To sway business stakeholders toward embracing a more inventive, discovery-centric methodology, I knew I had to tailor my message to resonate with their priorities.
While phrases like "creativity," "human-centered design," and "discovery" may spark enthusiasm among design circles, they will fall flat in the boardroom. Instead, I reframed my pitch in terms that spoke directly to their concerns: profitability, cost reduction, and risk mitigation.
I translated my usual design-centric language to statements like “This is a structured risk management process to make sure we are connecting business value to customers by de-risking solutions along the way”
My design friends just rolled their eyes. My business friends are salivating.
By articulating our process as a structured risk management endeavor aimed at aligning business objectives with customer needs, I earned their attention and appreciation. One key stakeholder even remarked, "Thank you - that was one of the best ways I have heard ‘discovery’ been described. I get it."
To be fair, it was not the best way to describe discovery but it was the best way to describe discovery for this audience.
Step 1 accomplished: I established rapport and credibility by speaking their language fluently.
Skills for you to practice: Immerse yourself in their world by studying their documents and engaging in conversations. Become an adept translator, bridging the gap between their lexicon and yours.
Step 2: Understand the problem-to be solved
On Day 3 of the workshop, tension crackled in the air as skeptical questions were directed at me:
“We do discovery already. Isn’t this just duplication?”
“Do we need this at step 4 in our process?”
In the heat of discussions, it became evident that clarity on the problem at hand was sorely lacking. Rather than providing vague or defensive responses like “Well - it depends!” or folding under pressure, I pivoted to a stance of genuine curiosity. By delving deeper into their questions, I uncovered the underlying issues and needs driving their skepticism.
Here are specific questions I asked during the discussion I moderated when I was suddenly put on the spot:
“What’s the question behind the question?”
“Based on my description earlier, what is the same about your discovery work? what is different?”
Can you give me an example of where discovery has gone wrong? Where has it gone right?
Here is what I learned from reframing their question:
Identified instances where product teams in the organization were circumventing business, missing out on crucial insights
Uncovered friction stemming from business leaders giving teams solutions to execute and design teams pushing for problems to solve
Recognized the distinction between analysis-based and experiment-based discovery, paving the way for collaborative problem-solving.
By reframing the conversation around shared challenges rather than individual grievances, we fostered a spirit of collaboration and mutual understanding. We started pointing our finger at the reframed problem, instead of each other.
Skills for you to practice: Practice your discussion moderation skills, specifically activating the Questioner and Clairvoyant facilitation personas.
Step 3: Drive your POV
Armed with a deep understanding of their perspective and the challenges at hand, I seized the opportunity to articulate a compelling perspective. With trust established and insights gained, I leveraged storytelling and evidence to advocate for a discovery-driven paradigm.
I had everyone using our new shared language of “de-risking the process.” I told stories about the value of an experiment-based approach to problem solving. I admitted the issues and work still needed by some of my teams.
They could hear my message because I built that trust and understood their grievances.
As a result, we departed the workshop with a strengthened relationship and a better understanding of each other’s way of working. Mission accomplished (and a hell of a lot more work to do).
Skills for you to practice: Clarify your desired outcome and gather persuasive narratives and evidence to support your perspective. Lead with conviction and authenticity to inspire action and drive change.
Practice makes perfect
Even if you're not quite ready to dive into steps 2 and 3, there's no better time than now to embark on step 1.
Whose rapport do you aim to elevate this week? Begin by immersing yourself in their lexicon, speaking their language. It's the first step towards forging stronger connections and fostering understanding.
#16: 3 wayfinding questions to keep meeting direction on track
I am going to tell you 3 wayfinding questions to make sure your meeting participants stay on the meeting path you designed.
People get off track as the meeting is happening
I see people get disoriented in meetings all the time. They are hesitant to speak up. Loud voices can derail the direction. Consequently, time is wasted, participants lose alignment on the issue at hand and engagement dwindles as people resort to multi-tasking.
This was glaringly evident in a meeting last week with hired “facilitators” from a top 5 global consultancy firm. Instead of skillfully guiding participants through the meeting's objectives, they merely projected their screens and took notes.
I had multiple people message me saying: “Well that was a waste of time” and “What were we even trying to do?”
3 questions to keep the meeting on the right path
Fortunately, as kickass facilitators we know how to guide teams toward a common outcome.
There are 3 wayfinding questions I ask myself to help vocalize a simple statement to make sure my meeting direction isn’t at risk.
Where have we been?
Where are we going?
Where are we now?
WAYFINDING QUESTIONS
The 3 Wayfinding Questions
1. Where have we been?
This can take two forms:
a decision that was made in a prior meeting
the synthesis of what was just done in the last X minutes in the meeting
2. Where are we going?
This can be both the broader outcome after you leave the room, giving a sneak peak of an upcoming activity or what you hope to walk away with at the end of a meeting.
3. Where are we now?
This is re-grounding the group on what is happening at the moment whether they are going to do an activity, open a document or start a discussion.
Examples from the past week
Here are two recent examples from working sessions that I facilitated.
Example 1: Brainstorming session, about 74 minutes into the workshop
“OK team, welcome back. We are about to get back into brainstorming (where we are now) but first , I wanted to remind everyone that the big user need we are solving for is Growth and Connection. (where we have been). We are going to be voting on our top ideas in about 20 minutes. (where we are going)
Let’s jump back into brainstorming!” (where we are now)
Example 2: Framing the start of a meeting after a tense previous working session
“Good morning everyone! As you recall, last week, we made the decision to focus on early stage prioritization of ideas to reduce downstream duplication of work. (where we have been) In the next 2 hours, we will have walked through 3 concrete examples to see if our new process works. (where we are going). To get ready for that, I want everyone to open up the Prioritization document in the chat window and comment on your top products (where we are now).”
Give it a try
Framing your wayfinding statement using the 3 questions grounds the group on the meeting direction and gives the group confidence on the direction you are taking them.
Ready to give it a try this week?
#14: The unlikely question that shifts a team into action
I am obsessed with this one question to get teams out of their funk and into radical action.
So many teams are waiting to get started.
Have you ever found yourselves caught in the endless loop of waiting?
Waiting for executive buy-in
Waiting for engineering support
Waiting for the meeting next week
Waiting for the new hire to start next month.
Meanwhile, the to-do list keeps growing, Slack messages pile up, and every task seems like an uphill battle.
But what if it didn't have to be this way?
The one question
Ask this question to get them into action
What would {this} look like if it were easy?
{this} could be anything:
managing a reduced budget for a product launch
working with that annoying teammate
preparation for the executive shareout
my overwhelming task list
Inspired by Tim Ferris' wisdom in "Tools of Titans," this question has become my mantra. Just saying it aloud can feel like a weight lifting from your shoulders.
Fun fact about David: I kickstart my day with mindfulness readings, including excerpts from this book.
Try the Easy path first. The hard one will always be there
Let me share a recent breakthrough using this powerful question.
Context: I am working on a complex organizational change project with a Fortune 500 company to bring two internal teams to work closer together. There is so much tension between the groups that my sponsor told me “not to even get close to that team” because of all the dysfunction.
At first, we tried to write our own scope of work, have "alignment meetings" with senior stakeholders and other activities that were really hard and time consuming.
So, during a recent meeting with the team sponsor I asked: “What would {working with this team} look like if it were easy?”
The atmosphere shifted. Minds sparked. Shoulders relaxed. We stopped being victims to the situation and instead got into radical action.
So, I am joining an already-planned working session with those two teams next week: an easy path to get started.
And if challenges persist? We'll regroup, ask the question again, and pivot as needed. The path of difficulty with exec buy-in and re-allocated budgets will always be an option, but we’ll continue to explore the path of ease first.
From victims to empowered teammates
Beyond problem-solving and action, this question cultivates confidence. It transforms team members from passive victims in the Drama Triangle to empowered collaborators, eager to tackle challenges head-on. And who wouldn't want a team like that?
Let's break free from the cycle of waiting and embrace the power of ease to propel us forward.
Will you try it this week?
#13: How to use the Why/How Ladder to balance strategic and tactical meeting goals
I'm excited to share a visual model and set of strategic questions designed to ensure that all participants in your meeting are engaging at the optimal "conversation altitude" for maximum productivity.
Ever found yourself in a meeting where someone discusses concepts at such a high level that you're left wondering, "What the hell are we even talking about here?"
Or perhaps you've entered a meeting expecting strategic discussion, only to get bogged down in task management and logistics.
We have a “meeting altitude” issue.
Remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? One bed was too small, one was too big, and one was just right. Similarly, our discussions can misalign: they're either too abstract and lofty, or too concrete and focused on minutiae. Your role as a facilitator is to navigate to the 'just right' altitude.
Achieving the right conversational altitude yields significant rewards: an aligned and engaged audience with clear directives.
Unfortunately, many meetings miss this mark. Here are three risks of failing to align meeting altitude:
Inefficient Use of Time: When participants operate at different levels, discussions can stray off-topic, extending the meeting duration without productive outcomes.
Increased Errors: Lack of alignment can lead to misunderstandings, resulting in decisions that don't fully address the core issues, potentially leading to further complications.
Reduced Participation: If team members perceive meetings as unproductive or feel their contributions are undervalued, they may withdraw and participate less over time.
Most meeting leaders don’t clarify their desired meeting altitude
There are other reasons why meeting leaders fail at solving the “meeting altitude” dilemma
They don’t define in advance what altitude they need the conversation
They lack awareness that the problem exists in the moment
They don’t have a good visual model to help them navigate the complex dynamic
They don’t have powerful questions to instantly change the dynamic in the room
Abstract, big picture thinkers can get frustrated because others are too in the weeds
Concrete tactical thinkers can get frustrated because others are too pie in the sky and are confused by the jargon.
Luckily, there is a way to solve for this. Enter the Why/How ladder.
Use the Why/How Ladder to solve it
Imagine the rungs of a ladder. Higher levels of the ladder are more abstract. Lower levels of the ladder are more concrete.
Ask Why-type questions to go up levels of the ladder to abstract Needs, Opportunities and Outcomes
Ask How-type question to go down the levels of the ladders to concrete Solutions, Ideas and Experiments
Let’s explore this further with a concrete example:
The Why/How Ladder
Step 1: Define your Levels and at what altitude you want the conversation
Last year, I was working with a product team that was looking to design a new electric vehicle (EV) charging experience for car drivers.
Let's look at this EV experience through our ladder analogy.
We had 6 different levels of conversations, meetings and workshops. The higher the level the more abstract. The lower the level, the more concrete. Here they are:
Level 6: Grow our revenue in an adjacent market (Business Outcome)
Level 5: Make the 30 min I now have to wait to charge my car valuable (Customer Outcome)
Level 4: Redesign the electric vehicle charging experience (Opportunity)
Level 3: Coffee delivery to drivers (Solution)
Level 2: Integrate coffee delivery to our Convenience store App (Experiment)
Level 1: use exiting API (Implementation)
Many of the meetings I led were derailed because some of the engineers that came were ready for Level 1 conversations while our product strategist was talking at Level 4.
Very different conversations, language and activities at different levels.
Start by clearly defining the levels at which you'll engage and agreeing on the conversation's altitude.
This ladder idea isn’t a new concept. The Luma Institute talks about Abstract Laddering. My example above aligns closer to Teresa Torres’ Opportunity Solution Trees. Both great resources to dig into more deeply!
Step 2: Use the Why/How ladder framework
Ask Why-type questions to go up levels of the ladder to abstract Needs, Opportunities and Outcomes.
Ask How-type question to go down the levels of the ladders to concrete Solutions, Ideas and Experiments.
Going Up the ladder:
Using our previous example, if someone shouts out “We should deliver coffee to drivers!” (Level 3), you can ask them: Why? They may respond: “Well…we want to redesign the electric vehicle charging experience!” (Level 4)
Going Down the ladder.
Similarly, if someone shouts: “We should deliver coffee to drivers!” (Level 3), you can ask them: How? They may respond: “Well…we could Integrate coffee delivery to our Convenience store App…” (Level 2).
etc. etc.
Step 2a: Use these questions to go up and down the ladder
Literally just saying "Why" or "How" may not be effective. Here are other questions you can use to get at the same concept.
Do you feel like the conversation or content is too in the weeds? Move Up the ladder with Why-type questions:
What makes you say X?
Connect {lower level} to {higher level} for me…
What do you believe to be true about X?
If we had X, what would happen as a result?
Is the conversation or content too abstract? Move down the ladder with How-type questions:
Can you give me an example of X?
How might we do X?
What needs to happen with X to make it a reality?
Step 3: Capture the information to clarify the right level
After you go up and down the ladder, you eventually want to land on a rung of the ladder to make sure you are speaking at the same altitude.
Using our EV example, if the conversation plateaus at things like “Redesign the electric vehicle charging experience” (Level 4), you can write it down and play it back to the team.
Pair this with our discussion moderation technique #3: Synthesize Points and you can say something like “It sounds like we are discussing things at this level 4-type language. Is that right?”
This gets everyone aligned and on the same page.
A simple action you can take
At your next meeting, set a clear altitude goal at the beginning. For instance, decide whether you need high-level strategic discussions or detailed logistical planning.
Practice moving up and down the ladder. Use Why-type questions to explore abstract ideas and How-type questions to get practical solutions.
By consciously practicing these steps, you'll find your meetings more focused, productive, and satisfying. Don’t just meet—conquer your meetings with clarity and purpose!
#12: How to balance the 4 facilitator personas for productive workshops
Today, I'll guide you through the four essential facilitation personas and the specific skills to hone for each, ensuring you effectively steer your workshops towards their goals.
The 4 Personas
During a workshop, there are many different mindsets and methods that a facilitator can use to drive a team toward a common outcome. I find there are 4 distinct personas.
The Questioner
The Motivator
The Task Master
The Clairvoyant
What is your natural persona?
Reflect on your instinctive approach in workshops. What strengths do you bring to the table, and where could you improve? It's crucial to adapt and balance these personas to suit each unique situation. Common pitfalls include:
The Overly Punctual Facilitator: So focused on timing that they miss the room's dynamics.
The Eternal Optimist: Engages in too much fun and games, losing sight of objectives.
The Perpetual Inquirer: Constantly asking questions without leveraging insights for actionable outcomes.
Facilitation demands continuous skill refinement. Let's explore each persona more deeply and identify practices to enhance your effectiveness as a facilitator.
The 4 FACILITATION PERSONAS
1. The Questioner
They dig deep to comprehend fully. They say things like “I’d like to understand that better”
This archetype embodies curiosity within the group, often stepping back to allow others the space to express themselves, aiming for a deeper comprehension of various perspectives. Their forte lies in posing thoughtful questions and excelling in active listening.
Skills to Practice:
Ask “open” questions: These questions usually start with What, How, When and Why
How did you get to that perspective?
What are some examples of X?
When is the last time that…
Use an upward inflection in your tone: It signals inquisitiveness. Chris Voss, master negotiator, talks about this in his 6 tips in the art of negotiation.
2. The Motivator:
They infuse vibrant energy to propel the team forward. They say things like “Yes! Let’s keep it going, team!”
As the group's spirited cheerleader and master of ceremonies, they possess a knack for dynamically shifting the room's atmosphere. Whether it's transforming distraction into engagement, lethargy into vitality, or chaos into concentration, they navigate these transitions with ease and flair.
Skills to Practice:
Boosting energy: Increase your speech temp. Play some music by Ratatat or engage in lovely, energetic warmups to invigorate the atmosphere.
Calming the energy: Adopt a more measure speech pace. Share a reflective poem, guide a collective breathing exercise, or set a serene (not sleepy!) ambiance with instrumental music from Thievery Corporation to create a focused yet relaxed environment.
Embrace methods that resonate with your authentic style to effectively modulate the room’s energy.
3. The Task Master
They manage time and keep people on track: They say things like: “We have 8 minutes left. Shall we move on to the next activity?”
This persona thrives on structure and efficiency, adept at navigating the workflow to ensure that every agenda item receives its due attention without delay.
Skills to Practice:
Ask “closed” questions: While the Questioner uses open-ended exploration, the Task Master shifts to focused inquiries that prompt immediate action or confirmation. They start questions with Can, Shall, Does and Is.
Shall we move on to the next activity?
Is this the right file we should all be looking at?
Does everyone have the Mural board open?
Agile agenda design: Use agenda design tools that can be edited in real-time to manage time risk. Here is a Google Sheet template that I designed that I always use for my workshops.
Tactful interjections. Master the art of gently steering conversations back on course, ensuring productivity without stifling dialogue. Learn effective techniques here.
4. The Clairvoyant:
They decipher the underlying essence of discussions in real time to get to the "aha." They say things like "Based on what I am hearing, I wonder if {point of view} is true"
This individual excels in deep listening and pattern recognition, piecing together spoken words and unsaid thoughts to unveil new insights.
Skills to practice:
Advanced analysis: Cultivate the ability to absorb and dissect data and observations to find patterns, trends, and correlations
Strategic frameworking: If Analysis is what to do, Frameworking is how to do it. Develop proficiency in organizing your analytical insights using structured visual methods. Whether it’s employing matrices like 2x2s, conducting SWOT analyses, or categorizing thoughts into Start/Stop/Continue formats, the goal is to present your findings in a clear, actionable manner. Expand your toolkit by googling “frameworks for {desired outcome}”
Articulating emerging insights in real-time: Practice the skill of sharing unfinished conclusions in real-time. This involves presenting your in-the-moment interpretations for group feedback, fostering deeper discussion even if your initial take is revised through collaborative refinement. We like to say “Strong Opinions, Loosely Held”
Combine personas for different scenarios
The best facilitators are able to mix and match these skillsets depending on the scenario. Some examples:
Reinvigorating a Low-Energy Team: When faced with a group that's lethargic and directionless, embody the Motivator-Questioner to stir enthusiasm while gently probing to clarify uncertainties
Streamlining Overwhelmed Discussions: When confronted with an abundance of data and an overwhelmed team with messy whiteboards, assume the role of a Clairvoyant-Task Master. Your goal is to distill clarity and prompt decisive action from a sea of information.
Managing Intensive, Multi-Day workshops: In high-stakes, extended workshops, a dual-facilitation approach magnifies effectiveness:
One facilitator adopts the Motivator-Task Master, ensuring vibrancy and adherence to the timeline
Simultaneously, another becomes the Questioner-Clairvoyant, focusing on deep listening and connecting the dots, thus fostering meaningful insights to action.
By strategically employing these personas, you can navigate diverse group dynamics and guide your team through any challenge.
#10: 6 techniques to manage overtalkers
The dominant personality. The non-listener. The overtalker. We all know this person (or have been this person) who just. won’t. shut. up.
When I lead facilitation trainings, this is the #1 challenging situation that people ask about (#2 is managing senior leaders in the room).
Overtalkers can derail the entire meeting
They can also:
make everyone check-out
make everyone feel frustrated at the facilitator’s lack of control
prevent you from achieving your meeting goal
create an unhealthy dynamic with that teammate
The good news is that there are tactical and strategic techniques to curb the behavior and get the team back on track. Here are 6 that I use the most often either before, during or after a meeting:
6 TECHNIQUES TO MANAGER OVERTALKERS
1. Obtain an agreement on your facilitation role [before]
If I know about strong personalities in advance, I either declare my role in the calendar invite or ask for permission to lead the meeting in the room (or both).
Somebody has to be in charge of driving your meeting outcome. Declare it.
This gives you extra authority for the next 30 or 60 minutes to interrupt, redirect or exhibit behaviors that could seem rude without the agreement, depending on your company’s culture.
2. Interrupt and redirect [during]
This might feel uncomfortable for those that avoid confrontation. The good news? This doesn’t have to be aggressive. Here is a common phrase I use:
“Marcus…marcus…marcus…I love that comment about {synthesize what they just said}. I want to hear from other people in the room to see if they have something to add to your perspective.
Yes, you are interrupting, but since you have an agreement about your role, it can be expected. The phrase does 2 things:
makes the over talker feel heard
establishes a clear intention to where you are taking the conversation
3. Set a timer that audibly goes off [during]
This is a great passive technique. Before the overtalker is starting their soliloquy, shout out something like “3 minutes for comments before we move on” and set a timer that goes off audibly. They will get the hint.
4. Name the risk [during]
The issue isn’t the overtalking. The issue is the result of the overtalking. The risks could be:
not reaching your meeting goals
teammate availability
engagement in the room
here are two examples:
Example 1: “Marcus, let’s pause. Margaret goes on vacation next week and I want to make sure we get their perspective”
Example 2: “Marcus, let’s pause. We have 8 minutes left and I want to make sure we get to a decision on our goal for this week.”
5. Try individual activities [during]
Try discussion moderation techniques like Jot it Down or Small Group Chats to break up the dynamic. You can also use tools like the Parking Lot. We covered these in earlier posts.
6. Ask what is causing the behavior [after]
There is a reason why someone is overtalking and dominating the conversation. They aren’t trying to be an asshole. Something else is usually going on. Here are a few reasons. They:
process better outloud
haven’t had their opinions valued in the past
feel impatient toward the progress of a topic/idea/milestone
feel overly stressed at work or personal life
completely unaware they are doing it
Your job as a facilitative leader is to assume positive intent, get curious and ask them directly to understand. Yup, you.
Here are 3 parts of a phrase I like to use to do this:
Behavior: Name the observable behavior, not generalities
Personal Impact: Let them know what happened to you as a result. This is irrefutable because it happened to you. You aren’t telling them what to do or ganging up on them with the whole group.
Understand: Seek to understand whats going on with them.
Example: “Hey Marcus, do you remember yesterday when I set the timer for 3 minutes and you ended up talking for 8 minutes past it? (behavior). I wanted to let you know that I really struggled in that meeting. I was tasked to drive our goals for the week but we ended up running out of time as a result (personal impact). What’s going on? I’d love to understand so we can improve next week’s meeting. (understand)”
#08: How to prevent unhealthy conflict using the 3 empowerment roles
In this post, I am going to tell you how to prevent unhealthy conflict from occurring during a meeting.
Conflict.
That word alone caused a few of you to panic. You are not alone.
7% of workplace time is spent in conflict
A few other stats:
Conflict management is one of the biggest fears held my new managers
Employees spend 3 hrs per week involved in conflict
Managers spend up to 40% of their time dealing with interpersonal conflict
source: Harvard Business Review
Ugh. There is plenty of conflict that drains our energy and prevents us from doing the best work of our lives. However, not all conflict is bad. Here is what I have learned after facilitating 100s of meetings and workshops:
We crave healthy conflict. We don’t want drama.
conflict (n): an active disagreement between people with opposing opinions or principles.
If you want collaboration and a high performing teams, conflict is inevitable. I would even argue conflict is critical for great work to happen. You want active disagreement and a critique of ideas. You want diverse and opposing opinions on a team to push ideas and concepts further and faster. Here is what you don’t want to feel:
blame or shame
afraid to share something personal affecting our work
like a victim and un-empowered
like we have to overwork to ‘save’ people
like we can’t trust our teammates
Conflict is a huge topic to cover all in one post. I want to share with you how we can overcome these enervating dynamics during a meeting by shifting away from dramatic conversations and shift to empowered moments that leave everyone feeling whole, resilient and connected.
Avoid the drama triangle
One of my favorite visual frameworks to bring awareness to toxic drama is the 3 roles of the Karpman Drama Triangle. Here they are:
Victim: They say “poor me.”
Persecutor: They say “it’s all your fault.”
Rescuer: They say “I can solve it.”
Think about a past meeting you attended.
Can you identify your own behavior in these roles? I sure can.
Let’s look at a drama triangle scenario that can happen during a meeting.
Example:
Victim: “Hey, I didn’t get that Powerpoint slide done for this meeting. I am so sorry. I had no time to do it. I am stressed out. it won’t happen again”
Persecutor: “This isn’t the first time this has happened. We need this today for the leadership meeting. Please don’t have this happen again. It is unacceptable”
Rescuer: “Hey, I can help you. Send it to me. I can get it done right after this call.”
At first glance, this may seem like a good outcome of the conversation. There is a problem, it is surfaced, a little bit of fear was instilled and then a teammate comes in to help so we can get that Powerpoint slide done.
The problem is:
the victim gets their needs met by having others take care of them vs. addressing the underlying issues that caused them to feel like a victim in the first place
the rescuer keeps the victim dependent on them
the persecutor learns that blame and anger is a way to get work done.
A drama triangle occurs when someone takes the role as a victim or a persecutor (Note: these roles can change in a moment's notice). They unknowingly invite others into the drama. Don't fall for it!
There is a better way. The Empowerment Triangle.
Activate the empowerment triangle
Use the 3 roles of the Empowerment Triangle to shift from:
Victim to Creator: Instead of "poor me," they say “I can choose how to respond to life’s challenges.”
Persecutor to Challenger: Instead of "it's all your fault," they say “how can you learn and grow from this situation”
Rescuer to Coach: instead of "I can solve it," they say “I believe we are all resourceful and resilient”
Your job as a facilitator is to prevent people from being a victim or persecutor and to coach everyone to move into the empowerment dynamic.
Let’s see the same example above play out using this new frame:
Victim: “Hey, I didn’t get that PowerPoint slide done for this meeting. I am so sorry. I had no time to do it. I am stressed out. it won’t happen again”
Victim > Creator: “I am noticing that the stress of my newborn is impacting my ability to get my work done. I have a few ideas on how to change it but I can use help”
Persecutor > Challenger: “So sorry to hear that! I know this isn’t the first time this has happened. I wonder if you can talk to HR and the two of you can come back with a new plan on how to reduce the stress while still being able to meet these work deliverables. Are you willing to talk to HR to get the help you need?”
Rescuer > Coach: “I know you are feeling stressed at the moment but you got this! The team is here to support you in this wild journey. At the moment, it sounds like we still need to get this PowerPoint slide done. Let’s co-create a way forward to relieve some of your stress while still making a great leadership presentation. How does that sound?..."
In this example, we have:
prevented someone from being a victim
avoided language that would cause someone to shut down
still addressed the work situation that is needed
created trust with the victim that the team will have their back
co-created a plan together, in the moment.
understood the root cause
sent a signal to the whole team that this is a safe space to share your authentic self so when new issues arise, you can share.
How can you shift you and your team from the drama to empowerment triangle?
#07: 5 techniques to discuss things right
In my first newsletter, I talked about 5 ways to discuss the right things during meetings to take the lead, surface issues quickly and drive the gathering forward. These were strategies like leading with a POV, surfacing surprises and tensions and asking ‘what’ questions on the content of the discussion.
Today, we get into the detailed tactics to activate these strategies by discussing things right.
Constructive conversations don’t happen just because you have a good discussion strategy.
You must pair it with the right tactics depending on the activity, size of group and personality dynamics.
Once you have the right things to discuss, here are the 5 most common discussion moderation techniques to discuss things right.
5 TECHNIQUES TO DISCUSS THINGS RIGHT
1. Jot it Down
What is it: Ask individuals to silently write down the answer to a question you ask the group before discussing.
Benefits: Having solo time to think before sharing respects different personality types and ensures voices are heard. This technique can also start to calm the anxiety of speaking during meetings. Did you know that the fear of public speaking is the most common phobia ahead of death, spiders, or heights according to the National Social Anxiety Center?
When to use it: When everyone is talking at each other or with a quite group.
Risks: Lack of clarity on where participants are capturing data or not having the right tool set up in advance.
Tips: Tell people you are going to ask them to share back in the full group to drive accountability. Use the chat functionality during virtual meetings.
2. Small Group Chat
What is it: Allowing groups of 2-4 people to discuss a topic before coming back to the larger group
Benefit: Enabling a virtual or in-person breakout room prevents dominating personalities from taking over a discussion and encourages quieter voices to be heard. It also shifts the dynamic of the meeting and discussion to keep engagement high.
When to use it: When you are facilitating a group of 5+ people
Risks: Participants not driving toward the discussion goal without local facilitation. Technology risks with breakout room issues and management
Tips: Assign a breakout group timekeeper and scribe to de-risk the conversation. Don’t make the breakout longer than 10 minutes without visual aids and activities.
3. Full Group Chat
What is it: Moderating a synchronous discussion with the full team
Benefit: To ensure the whole team is hearing the same information.
When to use it: After a Local Group chat or after digesting information to drive a Flare, Explore or Focus conversation.
Risks: Dominating personalities and derailed conversations that aren’t driving toward your discussion goal
Tips: Dominating personality: Set expectations for the amount of time you want someone to talk (e.g. “John, 60 seconds on the clock for your perspective”) and set a timer that is audible.
Derailed conversations: Push the participant to connect what they are saying back to the discussion goal (e.g. “Amir, you mentioned a frustration with our business partners. Connect that point back to our conversation on our Q3 roadmap.”)
4. Direct Ask
What is it: Calling on someone directly for their perspective
Benefit: As a facilitator, It gives you control on whose perspective you want to hear and it gives a nudge to stay focused (uh oh - what if they call on me!)
When to use it: When nobody is sharing, you want to connect a Small Group Chat to the Full Group Chat, or you want to give space to quieter voices
Risks: You push an anxious public speaker from uncomfortable to panic attack.
Tips: Use this in combination with Jot it Down. If someone has time to process a question and write down the answer, it can alleviate some of the fear since all they have to do is read what they wrote. Also, wait 7 seconds until calling on someone. It will be uncomfortable for you but it gives space to your group to process and think about the answer to your question.
5. The Boomerang
What is it: Pushing the question directed at you back to the group.
Benefit: If you feel stumped, it allows you collect your thoughts or it gives a chance for others to respond before you give your perspective
When to use it: When you feel like your perspective on a discussion topic may bias the group or if you are frozen and don’t know how to answer the question.
Risks: If the team really needs a question answered and they sense that you are avoiding answering it
Tips: Use in combination with any of the other 4 techniques! Get everyone to jot down their perspective, call on someone directly or open it up to a small or large group discussion. Use it sparingly! Remember, leading with a strong POV can help drive discussions too.
#05: 4 questions to deliver clear activity instructions
I am going to share 4 questions to deliver activity instructions that reduce confusion and drive quicker action for your audience.
Have you ever been in a meeting, workshop or conference where an activity is starting and you turn to the person next to you and ask “Wait…what are we doing?”
Unfortunately, this happens all too often. An activity doesn’t get completed. You get interrupted during a presentation. People are left confused.
During activity instructions, saying fewer words is more valuable.
This is the #1 reason why I see activity instructions fail. Facilitators talk too much.
This causes a cognitive stress on participants that are getting ready for an activity. Here are a few other reasons where I see facilitators struggle:
They don’t deliberately switch from the Why of the activity to the How
They focus more on their presentation content then simple instructions
They lack clarity on where and how they want their participants to do the activity
Believe it or not, there is a lot that goes into delivering clear and concise activity instructions. In this post, I want to focus on two (2) key steps.
HOW TO DELIVER CLEAR AND CONCISE ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Prepare your audience by “Crossing the Line”
When getting ready for an activity, you need to prepare your audience to switch modes from listening to doing an activity.
When I facilitate, I like to think of the metaphor of crossing over a line. I have left the previous content and am now fully in Activity Instruction mode. By establishing a clear boundary, you signal to your participants a transition.
And the larger the group of people you are facilitating, the more important this becomes.
Two of my favorite lines to signal the switch are:
“if you haven’t been paying attention, now is a good time to do so.”
“I am going to now give you instructions for our next activity, you ready?
It gets people re-centered and focused.
Step 2: Bring clarity by answering 4 questions
You have now prepared your audience to receive activity instructions. You have crossed the line from content delivery, discussions or other activities.
Now it is time to deliver clear and concise instructions by answering 4 questions:
The 4 Questions
Task: What is the task?
Tool: How am I going to accomplish it?
Time: How much time do I have?
Team: Who am I working with?
Examples
3 examples putting Step 1 and 2 together.
1. Getting a group of 4 people to update their monthly goals in a team Miro board:
“Ok, great conversation team. I am going to give you instructions for our next activity, you ready? (Cross the Line). Let’s write down our monthly goals (Task) by typing directly in the ‘February Goal’ frame in our team Miro board (Tool). Let’s do this as a solo activity (Team) for 5 minutes (Time).
2. Presenting a slide deck to leadership on the past product sprint
“Alright everyone…who is ready for an amazing presentation? (Cross the Line). As a solo activity, I want you to take out a sheet of paper or open a digital notepad (Team and Tool) and write down 1 thing you like and 1 thing that was missing from our past product sprint (Task). I am going to share my screen and present a 15 page deck for the next 7 minutes (Time). Then, we will have a group discussion (Team and Task) for the following 20 minutes (Time).
3. 20 person workshop to get teams to brainstorm new product ideas
If you haven’t been paying attention, now is a good time to do so (Cross the Line). For the next 15 minutes (Time), we are going to brainstorm new product ideas (Task). Each person needs their brainstorming prompts, a Sharpie and a Post-it Note pad (Tool) that are at the center of the table. In groups of 4 (Team), I want the team to write down as many new product ideas as they can (Task) in the next 15 minutes (Time).
That's it. Don’t say anything else.
This is the biggest mistake I see facilitators make.
Your participants are now in task execution mode. Their brain is getting into the details of organizing materials and getting ready to do a task. This is not the moment to go back to explaining the Why of an activity or adding in extra words.
At this point, don’t allow conversations unless it is clarifying one of the 4 questions.
Be concise. Be brief.
Less is more when delivering activity instructions.
#04: Agenda spreadsheet [Free Template] to design and manage workshops
Here is an agenda spreadsheet template designed in Google Sheets that you can use to design and manage your next workshop.
I have been using this same template for 10 years to design workshops from 60 min to 5 days long. I am excited to share it with you!
Using the Google Sheet Template
I have a partially filled example in the current template from a recent workshop I designed.
Make your copy by going to File > Make a Copy in the Google Sheet template.
Why use a spreadsheet for your workshop agenda?
You have done the work to figure out who needs to be in the meeting and what you want go get done. This spreadsheet helps to:
centralize the goals, activities, prep and timing in one place
make inevitable time changes on the-fly
visualize the balance of different activity types
edit easily and quickly
be a quick reference if ahead or behind schedule
analyze your performance as a facilitator
Here are the 5 key components of the agenda spreadsheet template and how to use it:
5 KEY COMPONENTS OF THE AGENDA SPREADSHEET TEMPLATE
1. Determine your workshop goal
What is it? A 1-2 line statement of what you are hoping to get out of the working session.
Why does it matter?: You need to know where you want to head before designing the agenda to get there.
My Example: In my example, the workshop goal was to identify the riskiest assumptions in the current product idea.
2. Decide on your participant goal
What is it? Statements that define how your workshop participants are entering the meeting (behavior, energy, knowledge) and how you want them to leave the workshop.
Why does it matter? Workshops can involve diverse stakeholders who can bring their own energy, biases, and perceptions to the working session. Defining the audience risk upfront can help ensure you have the least friction possible when designing activities that meet the workshop goal.
My Example: In my example, I want to influence my business partner in a new way of working. I need to get a quick win on showing value in identifying a product assumption so that they crave more. I already know in advance that 60 minutes is not enough. This is a teaser workshop.
3. Balance your activity types
What: There are six (6) key activity types when designing a workshop:
Content Delivery: Presenting slides/information directly to your audience.
Techniques: Core group and solo activities of the workshop.
Discussion: Moderating conversations about a Technique, Feedback or information in your Content Delivery
Feedback: Getting real-time critique on the workshop
Stokes: Energizers to keep the momentum going during a workshop
Breaks: Down time for longer sessions
Why: You need a balance of activity types to create a great workshop experience. Your participant and workshop goal will determine the amount of time spent on each activity type.
Template Feature: In the Google Sheet, when you select an activity type, it will automatically change the fill color of the row. This helps you see at a glance the balance and sequencing of activities.
4. Sequence your activities
What is it? This is the sequencing of your designed activities to meet your workshop and participant goals.
Why does it matter? Proactively designing activities and strategically sequencing them sends a message to your audience that you are in control and gives them confidence that they will get to the workshop outcome!
My Example: In my example, I designed the sequencing between a Strategic warmup > Journey Map > Assumptions > Feedback > Next Step Discussions. For this client, all of these activities were designed on a Mural board.
Note: We are going to go into a lot of detail over the coming weeks on Activities and Activity Types - stay tuned!
5. Enter the start time and duration of each activity
What: Clear start time and duration for each activity
Why: So you can keep track of time in the workshop at a glance and make on-the-fly changes as needed
Template Feature: The Start Time column is a time formula. Edit the first cell in this column for your workshop start time and watch the rest of it update automatically! The Duration column is the amount of time for each activity. Keep editing the Duration column in real time so you can track if your workshop timing is at risk and what changes you may need to make.
6. Analyze your facilitation performance
What is it? The Analysis tab gives you a quick visual breakdown of the amount of time you are spending on each activity
Why does it matter? This can give you data on what worked well (or didn’t) for a workshop to help you design better workshops for your audience in the future.
For instance: Perhaps you are hoping to spend 80% of your time collaborating on Techniques but the reality was only 20%. Was the time spent on over-talking of a presentation during Content Delivery? Were there rampant Discussions that spun out of control?
This helps with data-driven changes for future workshops.
Template Feature: The pie graph automatically gets created from the Agenda tab data.
Pro-move. Compare the designed vs. actual Agenda using Google Sheet Version History.
Try it out
Start using the agenda spreadsheet template this week.
I'd love to hear how it goes. Send me a message.
#03: Accelerate behavior change through a 5 min warmup
I will present a concise approach to guide your team in adopting a new behavior using strategic warmups. I will share a real-world example that I used last week with a product team.
The killer prompt we are going to break down in 4 steps below.
[I want to shift my audience from {old behavior} to {new behavior} but {blocker} is getting in the way. How might we design a 5 minute warmup activity focused on {deliverable} that showcases the {new behavior}?]
Typical icebreakers don’t work
You know the moment. You finally get important stakeholders together in one place to make important decisions and the meeting leader says: “OK, before we get started…let’s do a quick icebreaker.”
50% of you just rolled your eyes.
I don’t blame you. Some icebreakers, while fun at first glance, waste time. They are meant to loosen people up but can create an opposite effect making people feel alienated at best and lose trust in the facilitator at worst. Here are a few other reasons why typical icebreakers don’t work:
They don’t connect to the purpose of the working session or the desired behavior change
The facilitator doesn’t own it fully to push through uncomfortable moments
Poor activity instructions that causes confusion
Last week, I tested a different kind of icebreaker with a cross-functional product team that enabled them to let down their guard and brainstorm team metrics without fear.
Why strategic team warmups for behavior change?
Cultural change inside organizations can be massive, daunting undertakings and they usually involve some sort of behavior change with their employees.
The benefits of strategic team warmups to enable behavioral change:
safe space to practice a new behavior
low time commitment from the team
creates team engagement while keeping productive in their day jobs
introduces vibrancy into a meeting
not needing permission from senior stakeholders
create buy-in for a new way of working by showing, not telling.
Here’s how to create these types of warmups, step by step:
4 STEPS TO DESIGN A STRATEGIC TEAM WRAMUP
Step 1: Decide on the change
I am working with the product leadership of a large organization and a key workforce change they want is the adoption of a more lean/agile way of working.
I like to use a From/To framework to understand where my audience is today and where I want them to head. A few examples:
From siloed to integrated
From nervous to confident
From disheartened to hopeful
Our shift was from being linear to working iteratively and experimentally.
This helps anchor to the desired behavioral outcome you want to see as a result of your warm-up.
Step 2: Identify the blocker
Our hunch, from experience, was that the fear of failure was the primary reason for not adopting an iterative and experimental way of working.
This is an important point.
Declare the assumption and move on. Don’t spend lots of time conducting interviews or sending out surveys for 100% certainty. Take a stance and move into testing your hunch as soon as possible with your team to get some early signal if you are headed in the right direction. There is no better feedback than your team getting to experience your warmup. It goes from theoretical to tangible.
Step 3: Anchor to a deliverable
The team we are working with is piloting a new digital product in 6 weeks and they are looking to develop their Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for their product rollout.
Perfect. We have a near-term deliverable that is important and urgent for the team.
This also becomes an easier sell to try your crazy warm-up idea because it isn’t a separate meeting to do some wacky HR activity that leadership is making you do. Be clear about your intention so folks don’t come guarded. Here was the start of the message to my team:
“Hey team, we want to practice our new ways of working that [senior leader] is asking of us while also accelerating progress on our KPI development for our pilot product launch…”
This is about de-risking the KPI creation and integrating a new way of working at the same time.
Step 4: Brainstorm with a prompt
Let’s put steps 1-3 together in a brainstorming prompt to create your custom warmup:
Prompt: I want to shift my audience from {old behavior} to {new behavior} but {blocker} is getting in the way. How might we design a 5 minute warmup activity focused on {deliverable} that showcases the {new behavior}?
My example: I want to shift my audience from {being linear} to {working iteratively and experimentally} but {the fear of failure} is getting in the way. How might we design a 5 minute warmup activity focused on {Key Performance Indicators} that showcases {working iteratively and experimentally}?
Let your creativity fly to design your warmup activity!
grab a teammate to brainstorm ideas
throw the prompt in an async chat thread to generate solutions
copy and paste the prompt into chatGPT for suggestions
My warmup:
My product team was looking to create new KPIs focused on the retail and convenience store market. Here was the activity and facilitation instructions:
The Activity: The KPI Karnaval.
"Your team owns a convenience store and you are organizing a 'Shopping Cart Ballet' competition, where customers choreograph routines with their shopping carts. As a team, brainstorm customer-centered Key Performance Indicators (deliverable) to measure the success of this new program."
The Facilitation:
"As the facilitator, I am going to call on someone and they are going to give me the first ridiculous KPI (deliverable) they can thinking of. Then, I will call on someone else and and they are going build off the KPI idea of that previous person (new behavior). If I call on you and you can’t think of anything…GREAT! We are all going to celebrate you, give words of encouragement and then move on to the next person. (blocker).
The Outcome
After a little fun and games for 5-10 minutes, we moved directly into the meeting agenda topic: Developing KPIs for their actual product. This time, the team was more at ease, warmed up thinking about KPIs and in a more generative and iterative mood. Success.
#02: What is your meeting shape?
Here are three (3) distinct meeting shapes and the essential prerequisites to maximize their effectiveness, tailored to your specific objectives.
Ever found yourself in a meeting where one person believes a decision is finalized, while another is still in the brainstorming phase?
It can be frustrating.
For facilitators, clarity regarding the meeting shape is key. It not only establishes clear expectations for participants but also ensures a focused drive toward your intended goal.
Most facilitators don’t have the prerequisite prompts, data and criteria to drive the working session.
Unfortunately, many facilitators fail to drive toward the meeting outcome because they:
assume that meeting participants have done the ‘pre-read’
haven’t set expectations if the meeting is evaluative or generative
don’t have the right prompts, data, and criteria as input to drive the working sessionPOV
Here are the 3 meeting shapes, inspired by the Design Double Diamond you can use to design an effective working session, overcome these pitfalls, and drive your working session outcome.
3 MEETING SHAPES
Shape 1: Flare
When to use: You want your team to be generative on new ideas.
Prerequisite: Prompts.
When we ask our team to come up with new ideas, we need generative prompts to allow the flow of ideas. An old boss of mine used to say: "If you want a really good idea, you need lots of them. Your first ones will probably be shit."
I am not alone in this thinking.
Jeremy Utley, former Director of Executive Education at Stanford's dSchool, argues in his latest book, IdeaFlow, that the creation and movement of ideas is the only business metric that matters.
To activate your team to ‘flare’ and be generative, bring generative prompts.
Here is one example:
How Might We (HMW) prompts: These are generative questions that guide your team to different solution spaces. Example: HMW use artificial intelligence to solve [my team’s challenge]? Here is how the Stanford dSchool frames HMW questions.
Shape 2: Explore
When to use: You have existing data and need to wrestle with it as a team.
Prerequisites: Data.
When you have existing data, this is a great place to send to your audience in advance. The key here is this is not a “pre-read” that rarely gets completed. This is an activity that you ask folks to complete.
Examples:
Comment on these 10 ideas. What works and what is missing?
We have 3 vendors to choose from. Read through each proposal and budget and fill out the Pros/Cons list.
Unfortunately, you have to be prepared for the reality that only 50% do the work beforehand and you still need to carve out the quiet time during the working session for participants to explore and process.
After you give your team a chance to Explore, this is a great place to flex your discussion moderation skills.
It is also a great segway to Focusing.
Shape 3: Focus
When to use: You want to make a decision
Prerequisites: Criteria.
How are you going to narrow down the options? You flared with prompts. You explored the data. Now, it is time to focus on a decision.
Two questions to ask yourself:
What are the criteria for making the decision? Is it based on customer needs? Is it based on a budget? Based on an Objective or Key Result?
Who is making the decision? Is it the team’s job to narrow the results? Who breaks ties?
Bring these criteria to the Focus part of the meeting or you risk the unintended consequence of ending the session with a Flare or Explore.
Examples
2x2: Plot your data on two axes. Business/Customer needs. Impact/Feasibility. Important/Urgency
Dot Voting: Give participants 3 votes based on superlatives like "Most likely to drive Q1 revenue" or "Most likely to meet a customer need" or "Easiest to implement"
What are you trying this week?
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching." - Mahatma Gandhi