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It’s best to have your tools with you.
If you don’t, you’re apt to find something you didn’t expect and get discouraged.
~ Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
This chapter is a follow-up to Chapter 6. In that chapter, basic concepts of facilitation such as brainstorming were introduced along with a catalogue of 35 tools. Recall Table 6.1 (Tools Catalogue). In this chapter each of those 35 tools is described in detail for their application by a facilitator. While some on the list may require more expertise than others, most can be used with practice. Consider this as a starter and foundational kit for a facilitator to work from. Each of the techniques has a description and process steps for how to go about using it, along with a template and examples in some cases. These tools can be improvised for a variety of sessions and uses. Each of the tools on the following pages has a header which has a unique identifier that corresponds to the Tools Catalogue in Chapter 6.
SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis can be conducted for the current state of any organization or any part of an organization, including process, roles, and products and services. You conduct a brainstorming exercise with relevant stakeholders around the four quadrants as shown in Figure 12.1. Then do a clustering of ideas (affinity analysis) to determine themes. The themes are organized into strategies or projects and initiatives. These are prioritized and assigned time frames and ownership for their implementation.
Figure 12.1 – SWOT Framework
Strengths and Weakness are generally internal; Threats and Opportunities are generally external to the organization in scope of the assessment. Strengths need to be leveraged more. Weaknesses that matter most must be converted into strengths. Opportunities are the quick wins and other improvement ideas which must be leveraged. Threats are the constraints that must be managed/minimized and/or converted into strengths.
The SWOT Analysis technique is credited to Albert S. Humphrey, an American business and management consultant who specialized in organizational management and cultural change in sixties and seventies.
Process
- Identify/determine and agree on the scope of the area to be analyzed (an organizational unit, product or service, or other area).
- Create a SWOT template on a wall-chart. Provide large or medium-size sticky notes along with appropriate markers. Frame (explain) the concept of SWOT—its purpose and the expected outcomes. Write two data items on each sticky-note: An item above the line and the implication below the line as in Figure 12.2.
Figure 12.2 – Sticky Note Structure
For example, if SWOT is being conducted for a Recruit and Hire Process of an organization, one Post-It may have as a weakness item: Poor Selection of Candidates and the implication would be Less Competent Employees in the Organization. This concept of capturing two bits of data: Item and Implication/Consequence for analysis is my contribution to this technique. In the same exercise this enriches the value of the data gathered by thinking deeper about an issue. Instead of SWOT, in some cases a variation can be used: SPOT—Strengths, Problems, Opportunities and Threats. In cases where strategies are to be developed, “Weakness” may be used, whereas if a product or a service is being analyzed, “Problem” may be used. Note: In some cases the sticky notes can be used in four colors—one color for each quadrant.
- Individuals should create their own SWOT items first and then place them on a common wall chart for group analysis. This works well when the group is small. If the group is large, then form teams of two, three or four to first discuss among themselves ideas for all four quadrants and place on the wall chart randomly.
- Ask for volunteers, preferably one person from each of the sub-groups, to create clusters of like type of ideas. Circle the clusters with a marker and give it a meaningful title. These titles become the themes.
- Identify next steps; which may be to prioritize the themes and then create strategies or projects for further action. (Reference Tool #25, Prioritization of Options.)
After Action Review (AAR) (Tool #2)
An After Action Review (AAR) is a structured approach to managing knowledge and continuous improvement of any activity, project, work session, or to build a culture of accountability. This approach permits the participants of an activity to discover for themselves what happened and why. It can also be used to solicit ideas on how a particular activity could have been performed better. It should be conducted after some significant activity or when an event in an organization has concluded.
The idea is to capture the learning immediately after the activity while the ideas are fresh in the minds of the participants as to what went well and what could be improved in the future. AAR’s are not critiques because they do not determine success or failure. They are professional discussions of activities and events with the intent of capturing knowledge and sharing it for future improvement.
The AAR, as an informal technique, may have existed from time immemorial and been used by battlefield commanders to learn from the mistakes made during the action and to plan their tactics for the next action, based on the learning. The US Army formally developed this technique during the early eighties as a lesson learned system. Over time these have morphed into an efficient and effective process for correcting mistakes in future endeavors from the lesson learned and for sustaining success. This technique is generally conducted in a group session, but it can be used in interview settings as well.
There are two types of AARs: informal and formal. Informal reviews are typically done after meetings, work sessions, or training sessions. These can be facilitated by one of the team members—who needs to be neutral in conducting this short session. They are done on the spot, immediately after the close of the event.
Formal reviews are a planned activity where relevant and key stakeholders are invited to a facilitated session that may be designed and conducted by a neutral and independent facilitator. They are done for large initiatives such as the launch of a product or service, the building of a structure, the rolling out of new strategies that may involve people, and for processes and technology. This type of session may be held over one or two days, or even longer. The sessions are conducted under the sponsorship of the senior executive responsible for the overall program or activity of focus.
Informal After Action Review
The following template is worded in a manner that facts can be expressed honestly without offending anyone or pointing fingers at anyone. To apply this technique the facilitator prompts the participants to address these key questions: What was planned? What actually occurred (facts not judgments)? What went well and why? What can be improved and how?
The method for this review includes the following process.
- Identify and gain agreement on the topic for After Action Review assessment. Two approaches can be used:
- Using a flip chart, solicit items for I Liked or I Wish in a random order—without judgment or debate:
I Liked
I Wish
Example of a training workshop:
The content of the topic
Example of a training workshop:
There were more visuals in the material
Example of a group session:
The agenda design
Example of a group session:
The facilitator had allowed more time for exercises
- Using a wall-chart, ask participants write their items on sticky notes and place them on the chart. Have volunteers cluster the ideas to create topic themes.
- Frame (explain the context) the definition of an After Action Review for the participants and conduct the assessment.
- Identify next steps for how the learning will be documented and communicated to all relevant stakeholders and further used for improvements.
Note: an alternate template can be used instead that is similar to the one mentioned here, but with different wording. What Worked Well (WWW) and Even Better If (EBI). It is simply a matter of the facilitator’s preference.
Formal After Action Review
The method for this review includes the following process.
Plan the session:
- Establish the AAR objective.
- Identify and engage a facilitator.
- Review the plan of the activity and its outcomes.
- Identify the participants (stakeholders and those who have direct involvement).
- Select training and orientation aids for the participants.
- Select a facilitation-friendly AAR facility.
- Draft an AAR Plan/Agenda.
The facilitator prepares the plan:
- Develops a detailed agenda in collaboration with the sponsor/manager.
- Prepares communications for the manager to send invites to the potential participants.
- Gathers supplies needed for the session and follows up on other logistics, such as food.
Conduct the session:
- Review the objectives of initiative or activity being discussed.
- Facilitate the discussion and capture information in an organized manner.
- Agree on the documentation and dissemination of the session outputs.
Following is an example and a template for planning and conducting a formal AAR.
Table 12.1 – Template for Planning and Conducting a Formal AAR
|
# |
Approach |
What |
How |
|
Pre-Workshop Preparation |
This may include interviews and/or sending pre-work to key stakeholders. |
Tools: Information Gathering Template |
|
|
1 |
What were we trying to do? |
Create common understanding of what the objective of the program/imitative was. |
Presentation from management and key stakeholders – giving facts |
|
2 |
What actually happened? |
Create common understanding of what the result of the program/initiative was (individual contribution). |
Presentation of facts by all involved in the program/initiative |
|
3 |
What did I like? |
Individual contribution to the topic—both facts and opinion: “I Liked…” |
Data generated needs to be clustered into themes, e.g., projects, teams, logistics. May identify “defining moments.” |
|
4 |
What would I do differently? |
Individual contribution to the topic—both facts and opinion: “I Wish…“ |
Data generated needs to be clustered into themes e.g., projects, teams, logistics. May identify “defining moments”. |
|
5 |
What lessons have we learned and what do we recommend? |
Groups take each of the themes and identifying lessons learned and recommendations for each lesson (all participants). |
Groups provide specific and tangible recommendations for action. Tools: Lessons and Recommendation Template. |
|
6 |
How will we evaluate the lessons and recommendation? |
Brainstorm approach. |
Define guiding principles and actions. |
|
7 |
Prioritize Recommendations |
Develop criteria for prioritization and brainstorm. |
Recommendations will be documented as a first pass on priorities. |
|
8 |
Recommendation Actions |
Draft specific initiatives to be taken. Determine documentation, storage and dissemination of AAR outputs—for sharing knowledge. |
Identify Key Stakeholders, Business Area Ownership, and Dependencies. Tools: Initiative Planning Template. |
|
9 |
Key Stakeholder Communication |
Develop summary message and recommendation; Develop communication plan. |
Next step action. Tools: Communication Summary Template. |
|
10 |
Wrap-up and Close Session |
There are five types of possible banners and charts that can be used in workshops:
- Education and transfer of knowledge
- Facilitation for solutions (for all types described in Mahal Facilitation Framework)
- Inspirational and motivational
- Marketing of products and services
- Promotion of concepts, ideas, organizational proposals, and others.
In this tool, I am sharing ideas for items 1, 2 and 3 from the list above. While presentations can be made on tools such as PowerPoint and Video, they are momentary in nature and pass on as time goes on. Banners and charts can stay in workshop facilities for longer time periods. The participants continually see the visuals, which teach concepts, inspire ideas, and help raise provocative questions for deeper insights.
Charts made of paper that are around three feet by four feet in size can be printed on special commercial printers or obtained from print shops. But paper charts like these are typically disposed of and may not be reusable in their original condition. Banners made of a variety of stronger and durable materials can be reused over and over and are also portable. These hardier banners must be made by specialty suppliers. I have had a lot of success in getting reusable banners in a fabric that is durable yet very light to carry. It can be folded for travel, does not crease, and looks new even after years of use. My banners are made of “Poly Knit” material. The specialty suppliers simply take a PowerPoint slide and create the banner from it. The banners can have grommets put on all four corners for hanging on walls. Because the material is light, these can be placed on walls with either pushpins or artist tape that does not damage wall paint or wall paper.
The following examples are sample posters from my own facilitation kit as well as training in Business Process Management. The banner in Figure 12.3 is used for business process improvement workshops (Source: ASM Group, Inc.).
Figure 12.3 – Business Process Structure
This is a valuable team exercise with several benefits and objectives including: using as an icebreaker for session participants, creating a future vision for an organizational unit or product or service, identifying stakeholders, identifying process work flow for mapping, and sparking creativity. All types of visuals, including pictures and graphics, are an effective way of framing concepts and communicating ideas in a group setting. For just about any topic of analysis, participants can be asked to draw a picture on a flip chart for what they believe to be the representation of the details around a topic.
Figure 12.4 – Rich Picture Diagram
For example, if a vision is to be created for a product or a service, the team members can create a “visual story” or a map of how the product/service would be used in the marketplace. Similarly, a vision can be outlined for a department or a process—regardless of the industry. The participants are encouraged to use many colored markers as color promotes right-brain thinking—the creative side of the brain.
I use this technique for opening just about any work session where solutions and strategies are to be developed. It is also a natural icebreaker as the participants coalesce around a common topic of interest and demonstrate creativity while having fun and promoting team collaboration.
Process
- Identify the scope of what the group is charged to do: solving a problem, understanding how work is done or should be done, creating a future vision, or another activity.
- Form a small group of four to five participants into teams and provide them with the following instructions:
- Draw a picture on a flip chart using multiple colored markers.
- Use icons, symbols etc., but no text in any language is to be used. (This avoids people trying to wordsmith, which inhibits the flow of creative thinking and consumes time.)
- The total time allowed is nine minutes. For a larger team there could be multiple sub-teams doing this exercise separately. (Note that using an odd number stays in participants’ memories longer than using an even number such as ten minutes.)
- Have the teams present their pictures to the entire group or a have them take a “gallery walk” where each team moves around and observes the other teams’ pictures.
- Agree on the next step of documenting the pictures, which becomes a deliverable of the session and may be further used to identify stakeholders, ways of working, and even areas of improvement and priority.
This is a visual story telling exercise conducted by individuals or teams to express their feelings or insights about the topic of focus.
Process
- Establish the purpose of the Picture Simulation exercise. Obtain/prepare a deck of about thirty or more picture cards that are five inches by seven inches or, preferably, six inches by eight inches. The pictures need to be of a large variety of images, scenes, objects, etc. and pictures can be sourced from various websites or you may create a set of your own photographs.
- Form a small group of two or three participants.
- In training workshops ask the participants to look through the deck of pictures and identify one picture each that reflects the experience of receiving training. If a participant chooses the butterfly picture example in Figure 12.5, it could reflect: “As the butterfly morphs out of the larva, I feel that the knowledge I have gained is helping me to transform my skills to a higher level of competency.”
Figure 12.5 – Picture Simulation Cards
Butterfly
Bee on a flower
- In a business solutions workshop, ask the participants to identify a picture that represents their value proposition to the business (assuming the group is composed of Information Technology analysts and their users—in this example). If the bee on the flower is chosen, it may reflect: “As the bees draw nectar from the flower center surrounded by the petals, we provide a network of data sources providing quality data in the central hub for the users to obtain good quality information, when they want it.”
- After the individuals and the teams have shared their pictures and the messages, the trainer or facilitator can summarize the overall theme based on the topic of discussion.
Drawn by an artist and then digitized, graphic templates can be created as standard editable templates for ease of use. (Such templates can also be purchased. See the Resources Chapter.) These editable templates can be used for preparing work sessions and for documenting and presenting outputs. The graphic visual with colors promotes engagement of the participants and the interest of those who receive the information.
Figure 12.6 – Editable Graphics Template Example
Communication Guideline (Tool #7)
A facilitator must communicate with clients, workshop participants, management, and other stakeholders. A basic set of communication guidelines are essential to use as a checklist when sending written communication or when the workshop outputs are disseminated.
Approach:
- What is the business objective (what should this communication accomplish)?
- What is the communication goal—to inform, educate, get buy-in, or motivate to action?
- What is the key message or messages this communication should convey?
- What deadlines are involved in this communication?
- Is this part of any larger communication effort that should be considered?
Audience:
- Who are the audience and the stakeholders for this communication?
- Will separate communication to any of the stakeholders be needed?
- What is the audience’s preferred method of communication?
- What action should this communication prompt the audience to take?
Application:
- Are there any legal or regulatory considerations to this communication?
- Is the length of this communication appropriate? Will it fit in an e-mail? Will it require attachments?
- Will all members of the audience have access to the vehicles being used (e.g., e-mail, internet)?
- Will face-to-face communication be needed for meetings or training?
- For webinars, teleconferences, or remote facilitation, have the time zones for all participants been considered?
- Who is responsible for creating the communication?
- Who is responsible for disseminating communication to various stakeholders?
- What’s the internal approval process?
Data may be defined as facts needed to execute process and to understand work done. These facts are input to a process and then, through its execution, are consumed or transformed into information. Data only becomes information when it is transformed through some process to achieve specific outputs. Process and data are co-dependent—one without the other has little value. If process is the “body,” data is the “nervous system” that flows through it. For example, if you order a book online, you provide data facts as input on a website, which in turn triggers the order fulfillment process of the supplier.
Similar to process modeling, data modeling has its own discipline, modeling conventions, and terminology. Data models help identify data needs and business rules for getting work done, and thus support the execution and governance of processes. There are three types of data models: Conceptual Data Models, Logical Data Models, and Physical Data Models. Each of these depicts data facts in a structure known as an Entity Relationship Diagram or ER Diagram, as shown in Figure 12.7. This is a visual model of how a customer places an order for a product.
Figure 12.7 – Conceptual Data Model
Data requirements for a business need are represented in a format known as metadata, or data about data, that is the basis for defining data models and structures. The basic components of a data model are:
- Entity is a set of data about a person, place, concept, thing or event needed by the business to perform their functions and execute processes. For example, Customer, Product, and Employee.
- Attribute is a basic data element which belongs to, and describes, an entity. For example, Customer Name, Product Number, and Employee Name.
- Relationship shows an association between two entities and the number of each involved. For example, one Customer places many Orders, and one Order is for one Customer.
Using this as a communication tool, business requirements that include business rules and functional requirements are identified for an application. Progressive versions of data models are developed from the beginning of a business need to the creation of databases and applications. Conceptual models facilitate business context and support policies, logical models facilitate data and business rules support, and physical data models provide the data store structures to support business functions and application systems.
Process
- Intent: Agree on the scope of the data requirements needed. It can be for a department, process, project, and so on, to gather information with the purpose of understanding user needs for a computer application, as an example. Facilitate a session with business users and process and data analysts as appropriate.
- Framing: Explain the concepts of data entities and data models, and how they are used as input for an automated business application. Give a simple example of “customer places an order for a product.” Explain that first the data entities will be identified and then data models will be created (conceptual data models to start with).
- For the scoped area, brainstorm and identify fundamental data entities. Have volunteers write one data entity per Sticky note and place it on a wall chart. Remind the participants that data entities are named as singular nouns—Customer, not Customers. Examples of data entities can be: Customer, Product and Order.
- Have a few volunteers come up to the wall chart and collectively create a conceptual data model (See Figure 12.7). This will generate meaningful discussion and debate about the data entity definitions, entity relationships, business rules and data attributes, and others. Document all this information, which is called metadata.
- Identify next steps for how the data requirements will be documented, validated, used, and communicated.
While there are numerous ways to prioritize information gathering in brainstorming exercises, the use of “Dots” or “Sticky Dots” in a group work session is very effective. It is efficient, promotes equal participation in decision making, and the result of the group opinions is visible to all. Thus the term “Dotocracy” is used; a play on the word Democracy. The formal name of the “Dots” is Removable Color Coded Labels. Typically these labels are made of round paper and come in the colors red, yellow, green, and blue etc. Each of these “Dots” is about 0.75 inches in diameter or 1.9 centimeters.
Figure 12.8 – Dots (Removable Color-Coded Labels)
Note: In decision making, Gary Rush points out three insights that should to be kept in mind: Contention produces change; Compromise can be lose-lose; and Consensus is win-win.
Process
- Brainstorm and gather information on the topic of focus. Establish the purpose of prioritization (e.g., to gain agreement on the top three items or clusters to work on).
- Prioritization Exercise: Perform a simple “Dots” exercise by giving each of the participants a set number of dots for voting on the items of their preference. Typically each participant is given a set number of dots (odd number) depending on the volume of data generated for priority and the number of participants. For example: if there are ten participants and the quantity of data for options is small, give each person eleven dots for voting. For larger quantities of data, reduce the number of allocated dots appropriately. The rule is that participants may put all their dots on any one item or spread them across many items. In this exercise, the color of the dots does not matter. This type of voting can be done on each item or on clusters/themes.
- Quality Review: In this approach, the dots are used based on an agreed legend by the group. For example if a review is being done to determine the health of a process such as Recruit and Hire Employees Process, the legend for the use of dots to determine the status of process attributes can be: red—broken or does not work well; yellow—works so/so, sometime it works and sometime it does not; and green—works well, the process is okay. After going through this exercise, if there are many red dots, the group may wish to further prioritize items to be fixed based on time or money constraints. A blue dot can be used to signify a high priority consideration on the red dotted items.
Note:
- If the “Dots” are not available, colored markers can be used instead.
- Multiple dots on the same items are acceptable, signifying a stronger preference.
- This tool provides many possibilities. Improvise.
Managing Challenging Participants and Situations (Tool #10)
A facilitator must develop good listening skills and also learn to read the body language of the participants. Just as the light house scans the horizon all around with the light beacon, so should be the facilitator continuously be aware of the level of engagement of the participants, be able to infer the meaning of the various behaviors, and decide if an intervention is needed.
For example, if in a training workshop a participant seems to be uncomfortable with the topic of study, it is best to ask the group if they are comfortable with what was just covered. This gives the participant (or participants) an opportunity to speak up and express what they are feeling. The same is true for any type of workshop. Some principles should be adhered to:
- Never embarrass someone or put anyone on the spot by giving undue attention, regardless of their behavior.
- Always maintain a professional composure and be matter of fact in dealing with the situation.
- Always deal with the issue at hand as a good leader would—diplomatically and not alienating anyone. Prior to your intervention, first determine whether the problem is a bad situation or a difficult and challenging participant. Some behaviors may be due to a genuine organizational urgency or a personal matter of the participant, such as child care, elder care, or health issues in the family.
- Be aware of cross-cultural considerations. Reference Chapter 9, Cross-Cultural Facilitation.
For managing group dynamics, the concept of “Make the rounds, before you make the rounds” is critical, meaning that you must understand the personalities of all the stakeholders while planning the session engagement and designing the agenda.
The following Group Dynamics Guide (Table 12.2) outlines common people issues and strategies to deal with them in a workshop setting. These are by no means all the possible behaviors that can be present. But with practice, you will become good at mastering all situations—whatever they may be. Remember the Facilitator’s Mantra: “Keep calm and carry on.” This mantra is your best friend at all times.
Table 12.2 – Group Dynamics Guide
|
Behavior |
Some Attributes |
Strategy |
|
Dominating Participants |
|
|
|
The Skeptic |
|
|
|
Making it Personal |
|
|
|
The Sidebar |
|
|
|
Disengaged |
|
|
Body language is the unconscious and conscious transmission and interpretation of feelings, attitudes, and moods, through body posture; movement; physical state; position; and relationship to other bodies, objects and surroundings; facial expression; and eye movement. The transmission and interpretation of body language can be quite different from the spoken word.
Body language, technically known as kinesics (pronounced ki-nee-siks), is not an exact science. Signals and gestures from individuals may be expressions of certain emotions. Since the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals in 1872, many theories and detailed studies have been conducted on this topic by experts in human behavior and science. Body language goes both ways:
- Your own body language reveals your feelings and meanings to others.
- Other people’s body language reveals their feelings and meanings to you.
The sending and receiving of body language signals happens on conscious and unconscious levels. In this context, my purpose of introducing the subject of body language is to ensure that facilitators are fully aware of the need to observe the expressions and body language of participants to nurture their engagement in sessions. Remember that facilitators must be like a lighthouse beacon—scanning the audience to have a pulse on the session dynamics at all times, observing emotions and gestures for clues that intervention is needed.
Professor Albert Mehrabian’s Communications Model
Professor Albert Mehrabian has pioneered the understanding of communications since the 1960s. He devotes his time to researching, writing, and consulting on body language and nonverbal communications.
The value of Mehrabian’s theory relates to communications where emotional content is significant, and the need to understand it properly is great. This is often applicable in management and business, where motivation and attitude have a crucial effect on outcomes. Here is one representation of Dr. Mehrabian’s findings than is typically cited or applied:
- Seven percent of messages pertaining to feelings and attitudes are in the words that are spoken.
- Thirty-eight percent of messages pertaining to feelings and attitudes are paralinguistic (the way that the words are said).
- Fifty-five percent of messages pertaining to feelings and attitudes are in facial expressions.
Refer to Dr. Albert Mehrabian’s key book, Silent Messages, which contains much information about nonverbal communications (body language). (Reference: www.kaaj.com/psych.)
In this book, the Body Language concept is being introduced for awareness only. The student of facilitation is recommended to study the art and science of recognizing signals the body sends through the eyes, mouth, head, arms, hands, handshake, legs, and so forth. There is plenty of literature, and tools such as body language cards, available elsewhere.
While minor variations and differences have been found among obscure and isolated tribes-people, the following basic human emotions are generally used, recognized, and part of humankind’s genetic character. It is generally accepted that certain basic facial expressions of human emotion are recognized around the world, and that the use and recognition of these expressions is genetically inherited rather than socially conditioned or learned. These basic facial expressions are shown in Figure 12.9.
Figure 12.9 – Facial Expressions of Human Emotion
|
Happiness |
Sadness |
Fear |
|
Disgust |
Surprise |
Anger |
The Lotus Blossom concept developed by Yasuo Matsumura of Japan, is a technique of ideation for new ideas, problem solving and exploring options for implementing existing solutions. Using Matsumura’s Lotus Blossom concept, you take one of the emerging themes, create another core and expand upon it. See Figure 12.10. This approach provides many possibilities that can be prioritized based on the ideation criteria and within the limits of given constraints. This method works well in smaller groups for one given problem area at a time. General brainstorming guidelines apply in this method.
Figure 12.10 – Lotus Blossom Ideation
Process
- Establish the purpose for using a Lotus Blossom and identify a topic of interest. Create a template on computer or use a wall chart where participants can interactively collaborate in brainstorming. This technique works well for about six to eight participants per one template. For larger groups, have separate Lotus Blossom templates.
- Explain the concept to the participants and have them use sticky notes for ideation. Starting with the core, the participants would continue to generate items until they have exhausted all ideas or they believe they have enough to move on to the next step.
- Prioritize ideas, solutions, options, and other results by marking with colored markers or applying colored dots. Identify next steps for action.
For example, a group of people intend to hold a planning workshop for their non-profit organization and are looking for a suitable location. Therefore, “Find Location for Conducting a Workshop” is the central issue/challenge for the ideation exercise. Once they have identified ideas as shown in Figure 12.11, they may choose Day Rental as one of the options to be the central theme and conduct ideation around the eight “leaves” of the lotus template. The team would do the same for all the ideas on the other leaves. This continues until the team decides that they have enough ideas and can wrap up this part of the exercise.
Figure 12.11 – Lotus Blossom Example
|
Park—Open Area |
Municipal Building |
Hotel |
|
Church Hall |
Find Location for Conducting a Workshop |
Day Rental |
|
Virtual Session |
Home of a Volunteer |
Town Library |
The design discipline of biomimicry seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies, such as a solar cell inspired by a leaf. The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with: energy, food production, climate control, non-toxic chemistry, transportation, packaging, and a whole lot more.
Biologist Janine Benyus coined the term biomimicry in 1997. Through her consulting firm, Biomimicry 3.8, she works with major corporations to use nature in helping create smarter products and services. In an August 2014 Reader’s Digest article Spiderwebs and Other Inspirations by Andy Simmons, Janine tells this story about using nature to solve problems: A company called Arnold Glas was concerned about all the birds killed when flying into windows. The company’s scientists wondered how nature solved this kind of problem. The answer, Benyus says, is spiders. “Spiders build webs for bugs,” she explains. “But birds obviously would destroy the webs, so spiders weave in strands of silk that reflect UV light. Birds can see it, but bugs and humans can’t.” So, the company includes UV-reflection material in its Ornilux glass. “Now it sells bird-safe windows,” says Benyus. (See one education source: www.asknature.org.)
When facilitating for ideas for innovation in products, services, processes, and other innovations, participants need to be made aware of this emerging discipline of mimicking nature. While humans have been mimicking nature since the beginning of time (trying to fly like a bird), this discipline is now taking a formal approach in its own right.
Brainstorming is described in detail in Chapter 6. Many of the tools being defined in this section have an applied brainstorming component.
The general purpose of brainstorming is to generate ideas and discover insights about a specific topic around problem solving, strategy development, ideation, and other issues. Typically, participants come up with their own ideas, which are collectively harvested for the whole group by a facilitator. The disparate ideas go through affinity analysis, where “like things fall together” and are grouped into clusters and given titles as themes for further use. This data and their themes provide insights into the subject matter and become input to actions for implementing solutions. The generic process below may be modified for those variations.
Process
- Topic: Identify the topic of interest and the scope the group is charged to deliver. Based on this purpose select one of the various brainstorming options and conduct the workshop. Describe the rules of brainstorming to the group.
- Ideas: If the group is small—from five to ten people—each of the participants is asked to generate individual ideas. Note: Alex F. Osborn, the father of brainstorming, emphasized that individuals must take five minutes to think about their ideas before listing them. For larger groups—ten to twelve people—form small subgroups of three or four participants, have them generate individual ideas, list them, and then collectively create sticky notes—one idea per sticky-note—and place them on a wall chart.
- Analysis: Determine what information is to be harvested from the “raw” data in the previous step; and why. In some cases the entities are identified for analysis as in the case of data entities for creating data models. In other cases affinity analysis is done to cluster “like types of items” into useable themes. For clustering, ask for volunteers to identify like items and create logical clusters relevant to the topic of interest on a wall chart. With a marker, have them circle the clusters and give them titles, which are considered themes. Have the volunteers report out the themes for a common understanding by the group.
- Priority: All the themes may not be equally important. To assess the opinions of the participants as to their preference, have the group vote using “sticky dots” (“dotocracy,” as in democracy). This may provide the basis for consensus and prioritization for actions.
- Action: Identify the next possible action the group would like to take. It may be to create an action plan of the themes, whereby each theme can be an initiative or a project and then timeframes can be identified for each of the themes.
- Next Step: Upon conclusion, agree on who will document the output and deliverables and who will communicate the outcome to relevant stakeholders.
Information Identification Guide (Tool #15)
In the context of facilitation, a facilitator has to study the nature and scope of the topic at hand and prepare to engage in the design of the work session including formulating questions for interviews.
Table 12.3 is a useful tool for identifying common organizational objects in an effective and efficient manner. When you identify an information type as shown in the first column, it corresponds to the organizational object of interest shown in the second column. This is more of a craft than science. With practice it becomes second nature to analyze any information in this manner. Once the objects are identified, they serve multiple methodologies for analysis and critical thinking in an organization.
Table 12.3 – Information Identification Guide
|
Information Type Examples |
Potential Object for Analysis |
Meaning and Usage |
|
Activity or Work |
Process |
A process to “Do Something”—a series of steps to accomplish something. Expressed as verb and noun combination. Example: Recruit and Hire an Employee. |
|
Activity or Action with Options |
Decision |
This is usually described as an “Activity” but with Two or More Mutually Exclusive Options. Example: Reject Application. |
|
Activity Based on a Particular Need or Criteria |
Event |
An activity that is based on a particular criteria of time or an event. In process analysis this is usually an “Event Trigger” Example: Hiring fair at a university for recruitment process. |
|
Business Application |
System |
A collection of tasks or activities to accomplish something of value. This is considered an “Enabler.” Example: Employee Payroll System. |
|
Equipment or Facility |
Infrastructure |
Buildings, roads, facilities, or equipment that has multiple uses is usually considered an “Enabler” to activities or processes. Examples: Truck, HR Interview Room. |
|
Location/Physical Area |
Geography |
Physical locations or geographic regions may be considered “Infrastructure” as well as “Data Entities.” |
|
Mechanism / Platform |
Technology |
A Technique or Automation of an activity or a series of activities. This may be an “Enabler” to one or more business applications. |
|
Organization, Division, Department Name |
Organization and/or Organizational Unit (Sometimes can be a Stakeholder as well) |
An “Entity” engaged in some work of interest. Example: Human Resource Department. |
|
Person Name |
Stakeholder |
Those who have “Vested Interest” in the scope and/or outcome of an activity. Example: Job Applicant. |
|
Person Title |
Role |
Someone who is “Doing” something. This may be considered an “Enabler” of an activity or a process. Example: CEO. |
|
Policies, Regulations |
Constraints / Rules |
These may be “Guides” of a business process i.e., the “Controls” on an activity. Example: Managers must be proficient in organizational leadership competencies. |
|
Singular Noun / Datum |
Data Entity |
Person, place, thing, or event about which an “Organization has Will and Means to Store Information.” It is expressed as singular noun. Example: Employee (Not Employees), Organization (Not Organizations). |
|
Skills |
Competency |
Knowledge, skills, abilities and experience to perform a specific role or roles. The competencies may be “Effectiveness” (leadership/managerial/behavioral) or “Functional” (technical/specialized/role specific). Example: Manage Vision and Purpose (Effectiveness), Project Management (Functional). |
Example: The NewAge Food Company is a fictitious organization. The first paragraph provides a brief overview of their business. The second paragraph has been analyzed to identify organizational objects—shown in parenthesis and italics. This is what an analyst or a facilitator might do to get a deeper understanding of the organization in terms of its purpose and supporting structure.
The NewAge Foods Company
The NewAge Foods Company makes foods containing antioxidants and other supplements consistent with popular trends in the market place. The business is a family-owned operation based on the East Coast of the United States. The company primarily focuses on ready-to-eat snacks which are sold through various channels that include grocery, drugs, theaters, health stores, vending outlets, and the like. In addition to the mass production of snacks such as cookies and energy bars, the company produces specialized snacks such as cookies for diabetics—which they sell through their mail-order part of the business.
The NewAge Foods Company (Organization and Data Entity) makes foods (Process) containing antioxidants and other supplements (Data Entity) consistent with popular trends (Event) in the market place. The business is a family-owned (Stakeholders) operation (Organizational Unit and Data Entity) based on the East Coast of the United States (Geography/Data Entity). The company primarily focuses on ready-to-eat snacks (Product Data Entity) which are sold through (Process) various channels (Data Entity) that include grocery, drugs, theaters, health stores, vending outlets (Data Entity), and the like. In addition to the mass production (Process and Infrastructure) of snacks such as cookies and energy bars, the company produces (value proposition) specialized snacks such as cookies for diabetics (Customers/Stakeholders)—which they sell through their mail-order (Process/Technology) part of the business model.
Participants in a session must be given the opportunity to say something personal in the very beginning. If not, they may hold back and not participate fully because their presence is not “recognized.” There are thousands of ways this type of introduction can be done. Here are simple yet effective examples for using this concept, which also serve as icebreakers.
- Ask the participants to tell the “story” of their name. Every person’s name generally has a very interesting origin. Ask them the meaning of their name, who chose it, why was it chosen, what the middle name stands for, and what their last name represents. I generally have the participants stand in a circle and speak. For example my name is Arjit Singh Mahal. In the Punjabi language, Arjit is a combined word made up of “Ar” and “Jit.” “Ar” means enemy and “jit” means to win. So, the first name means “the one who wins over the enemy.” (Enemy, in this case, means a constraint, challenge, or simply something negative.) The middle name “Singh” means Lion. Every Sikh has this as the middle name to represent courage. And the last name “Mahal” is a clan name of the Jat tribes, which migrated into India from Central Asia around the time of Alexander’s invasion of India. So, you can see that a name tells a very interesting history.
- The Thumball™ by Answers in Motion, LLC, is available from various suppliers outlined in the Resources Chapter. They come in several options to suit different types of communication and interactions. For example there are balls for introduction icebreakers, group quizzes, exercises, and more. To use this technique, have the participants stand in a circle away from their chairs. Explain the exercise: “When you catch the ball, give your name, department name, expectations from the session, and a story about the item where your left or right thumb touches the ball. Have the participants throw the ball to other participants randomly.
Figure 12.12 – Thumball™
Premade
Customize for your own purpose
- Use a Specialized Ball for learning and knowledge consolidation. I have the ball shown in Figure 12.13, which has elements of Business Process Management around each of the panels. For example one panel has the term “Process,” and another the term “Business Change.” Ask participants to describe, in their own words, what the term means where one of their thumbs touches while catching the ball. This special ball is used in training sessions as well as facilitation sessions where a business process improvement is being facilitated. These balls can be customized to fit your needs or you can purchase a blank one, allowing you to create your own learning and engagement tool for any professional practice or learning situation.
Figure 12.13 – Process Learning Ball
- Custom learning and engagement ball for your client. A blank Thumball™, shown in Figure 12.12, can be used to create a unique tool for a specific client. For example one of my clients is an international food manufacturing organization with products ranging from chocolate snacks to pet food and coffee and tea. I have organizational-specific trivia labeled on each of the panels. In afternoons after lunch, when the participants tend to be a bit lethargic, I have them stand in a circle and do the exercise as described in step (B).
- Personal Shield. From ancient times, nobles and families of note wore their family crest and coat of arms as a mark of unique status in society. These crests, in addition to being used in their mansions, stationary, etc., were engraved on the shields when they went into battle. This concept can be used for introductions of participants in workshops—particularly when they are meeting other team members for the first time, for example global team members meeting to develop solutions and strategies. It can serve as both an icebreaker and a team building exercise.
Figure 12.14 – Introduction Shield Template
Process
- Pre-Workshop: Send the template of the shield (as a PowerPoint file) to the participants ahead of the session so that they may create their shields and submit them to the facilitator prior to the session. The facilitator loads them onto the computer in preparation of the opening of the session. (Note: The shield exercise can be done in the workshop for team building exercise as well.)
- Instructions: “Develop your own shield using the template provided. Depict your own uniqueness, both professionally and personally. Use symbols, icons, figures, or another method to represent yourself—but don’t use any words. In the banner in the middle, create your motto—who you are and what you stand for.
- Presentation: At the opening of the session, participants present their shields. Here’s my shield—used in a global workshop in the role of a facilitator.
Figure 12.15 – Introduction Shield of Artie Mahal—Example
My explanation of what my shield depicts:
|
Expectation |
As a facilitator I manage the process in a way that participants achieve the expected outcome “at the end of the rainbow.” |
|
Challenges |
The balance of time and ensuring that all pieces of the puzzle fit to ensure a superior outcome from the session. |
|
Proud of |
Extensive reading on all topics. And writing my first book. |
|
Later |
Quest for spirituality. Managing better health. |
|
My Motto |
Harmony with Nature. |
Laughter is the universal language of humor, fun, celebration, and enjoyment. In some cultures, individuals and groups use laughter on regular basis to relive stress and generate positive energy for their health and wellbeing. This is a good tool for facilitators to use in workshops as often as possible for icebreakers and, occasionally, to make a point on a topic. Humorous jokes and stories are encouraged for better engagement of participants in workshops.
There are hundreds of ways to generate laughter. Clown Noses come in various sizes and colors and are generally made of foam. I always use one technique of laughter therapy at the close of workshops to celebrate the successful end: “Clown Nose Laughter.”
Have participants stand in a circle and give each one a “nose.” Demonstrate how to put it on by first putting a “nose” on yourself. Have them touch their ears with their thumbs, wiggle their other fingers, face other participants and say, “Tee Hee, Tee Hee, Tee Hee,” and laugh loudly. See Figure 12.16. This generates a lot of laughter. (Technique created by Dr. Annette Goodheart 1935-2011, laughter therapist, lecturer and author of the book Laughter Therapy: How to Laugh About Everything in Your Life That Isn’t Really Funny.)
Figure 12.16 – Laughter Therapy
Note: Always distribute new and fresh clown noses. When the participants finish the exercise, they take them home. (Never reuse them in other workshops, for hygienic reasons.)
Personal Library of Facilitation Resources (Tool #18)
Your personal library may include the following resources:
- Frameworks, methods, techniques, and tools on all four types of the facilitation groupings defined in the Mahal Facilitation Framework.
- Ready-to-use templates in support of facilitation methods and techniques.
- Engagers and energizers library and tools.
- Reference books on various methods and tools from a variety of professional experts relevant to facilitation and the subject areas of your interest in education, training and consulting.
- An active network with other professionals to share ideas and learn a variety of approaches.
- Subscriptions to professional journals, saving articles future reference.
- Helpful hints and tips for improving your facilitation capability and improving the facilitation process.
- Stories, metaphors and anecdotes to be used to inspire and motivate participants.
- Case studies for training workshops.
- Videos for teaching aids and a catalogue of relevant websites.
- Learning Aids or “Thinkertoys.” Research and use learning tools and “toys” for engagement and energy.
- A collection of posters and banners to use in facilitation. Some of these can be the methodologies of the topic being facilitated. Those can be displayed on walls for visual and common understanding.
Epictetus, the Greek sage and philosopher (AD55-135) stated: Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so that we could hear twice as much as we speak. The idea that we should be good listeners has a profound meaning for anyone in the role of a facilitator. The facilitator must be a good listener throughout the facilitation process. The following technique can be easily mastered with practice.
Table 12.4 – The Listening Ladder
|
Look |
At the person speaking to you. Make eye contact to express that you are interested in what the other person has to say. |
|
Ask |
Questions. Ask follow-up open ended questions to comprehend the meaning of what is being said by the speaker. |
|
Don’t |
Interrupt or be interrupted. Ensure that the interruption is only for clarification of what has been said. |
|
Don’t |
Change the subject. You will get an indication to change the topic when the speaker is finished with one thought. Look for cues to transition to another topic. |
|
Empathize |
With the speaker. Demonstrate this by a gesture such as “nodding your head” so that the speaker gets the message that you are interested in what is being said. |
|
Respond |
Verbally and nonverbally. Through body language such as nodding your head, eye/eyebrow movements, acknowledge that you are just as engaged in the conversation as the speaker is. You can do this without interrupting the speaker by saying, “…I see…” or “…I understand…” |
Here is an exercise to demonstrate the value of good listening in team building or work sessions.
Process
- Team Formation. Ask participants to pair up in sub-teams.
- Instruction: Have Person One tell a story about any topic to Person Two. Person One is the speaker and Person Two is the listener. Instruct Person Two to not pay any attention to what Person One says. Instruct Person One to begin telling the story—for one minute only.
- Debrief: After Step #2 is complete, ask Person One how he/she felt. The usual response is, “Person Two was disengaged and not interested in what I had to say. It was uncomfortable to go on telling my story.”
- The Listening Ladder. Now explain the concept of Listening Ladder as an awareness and skill building tool. Have the sub-teams repeat the exercise in Step #2 but this time, Person Two is asked to apply Listening Ladder principles in the conversation with Person One.
- Debrief: Ask Person One and Person Two how they both felt in this exchange. The typical response is that Person One is satisfied that she was able to convey her story well and Person Two expresses that he was fully engaged and interested in what Person One had to say.
Presentation Skills (Tool #20)
The subject of presentations can be lengthy and make for a very large chapter. In this section my objective is to provide some basic presentation concepts and techniques that a facilitator should be aware of and use effectively.
Material Organization. Based on the topic to be covered, organize your material using the Four W’s: What is the topic of focus? Why am I giving this presentation? Who is the audience? And What is in it for them? It may help to think about the outcome you expect from the presentation and then work through the four W’s.
Delivery Framework. There is an old saying about presentations: Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them. This is a basic three-part framework. First, know your subject well and succinctly describe your topic to the audience to get them interested in what is about to be delivered to them. “Wet their appetite” using an attention grabber. Then deliver the topic in an engaging way so that it is not a lecture but, rather, a productive dialogue. (Remember that more of them and less of you is better.) Upon completion of the topic, summarize what you have presented highlighting the key takeaways. Create a memorable close.
Timing. Winston Churchill once said: “I must apologize for making a rather long speech this morning. I didn’t have time to prepare a short one!” Presentations can drag on if not properly planned and rehearsed for time. The rule of thumb is to prepare your presentation then cut it by fifty percent. It is probable that unforeseen factors could cut into your allotted time. The shorter the better.
Questions. John Townsend of The Master Trainer Institute of France, has this very practical approach to handling questions and interruptions. Many audience questions are not necessarily questions but, rather, requests for clarification or attempts to gain the spotlight. Facilitators must answer succinctly as follows.
|
Reflect |
Back to the questioner what you thought was the question: “If I understand correctly, you’re asking…” Depending on how the questioner reformulates the question, answer it or Deflect it. |
|
Deflect |
Group: “How does the rest of the group feel?” or “Has anyone else had a similar problem?” Reflect: (to one participant—perhaps a subject matter expert) “John you’re an expert on this…what do you think?” Reverse: (back to the questioner) “You’ve probably done something like this before. What’s your view?” |
Flip Charting. Today, it is common not to have flip charts available in conference rooms. The notion is that facilitators have laptops to make their presentations using an overhead projector. I believe that while use of automation enhances productivity, it may not be as impactful as the presenter writing some key messages on a flip chart (or a wall chart) while presenting through a computer. There is a place for being “high tech” and there is a place for being “high touch.” Both are needed. A smart presenter—particularly in the role of facilitation—has flip charts available in order to create a visual impact when needed.
Here are some considerations. Prepare key charts in advance, and give a title to each chart. Write big and bold and use bullets for emphasis on key items. Write in what is called “highway writing” as in signs on the highway, which are a combination of capital and lower case letters—making it easier for the eyes to read. Use multi-colored and water washable markers (multiple colors engage the right side of the brain, which promotes creative thinking). Speak loudly while writing as you will be facing away from the audience. (Another strategy is to ask a volunteer write on the flip chart.)
When I have to write rather fast, I tend to make spelling errors. The audience likes to point out errors promptly. I draw a round circle with a dot in the middle (representing an electric button/switch) on one of the flip charts and state, “I have a high-tech spell checker. At the end of the session when I press the button, all my misspellings are corrected.” Or I tell them with humor that Mark Twain felt sorry for people who could spell only one way! Participants laugh at these and no one complains about misspellings thereafter. (Note: I am not condoning poor spelling skills, but giving you a tool for how to manage such situations.)
“Frame the flip charts.” Put a frame around the flip chart using a thick bold marker. This enhances the messages on the flip chart.
Engagers and Energizers. Review the concepts, techniques and tools outlined in Chapter 5. Use them as appropriate along with Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Framework—described in that same chapter—to engage the audience in a most effective manner.
Checklist. The solution to Murphy’s Law of, “If something can go wrong—it will,” is a checklist of supplies, preparing and practicing the delivery of material in advance, and ensuring that the equipment works and that the room is set up properly.
Helpful Hints
- Learn about your audience: who they are and what matters most to them.
- Don’t create “death by PowerPoint,” meaning minimize slides and maximize engagement through dialogue, stories and interactive transfer of messages.
- Use voice with “color” showing emotion. Speak loudly to ensure everyone can hear you.
- Have high visibility marker colors on hand. “Bruise” colors (black, blue, purple, maroon, and brown) offer the best visibility. Avoid red markers to the extent possible (color blind people cannot differentiate red from certain other colors.)
- Check the facility, equipment, supplies, and arrangements beforehand.
- Before delivery: Practice, practice, practice!
Brainwriting is a way to solve problems using intuition, states Michael Michalko in his book Thinkertoys. This exercise can be used in conjunction with brainstorming as preparation by individuals to contribute ideas to the group information gathering exercise.
Process
- Find a quiet space and get relaxed. Write down your particular challenge and concentrate on it for a few minutes—almost like focused meditation of the mind.
- Write down relevant questions about your challenge: What is it that I am looking for? How does it help my interest in the cause? What are alternatives and options? Which option should I pick and why?
- Write down as many responses as you can to the questions in Step #2. Your inner mind will provide you answers that you can rationalize and take action on as appropriate.
For example when I was in charge of the learning and development group of a large organization, my challenge was to roll out a set of new training modules for the managers—with just about no headcount available to hire trainers. I was told by the VP of human resources “Artie, read my lips, no head count increase is available.” The brainwriting exercise helped me come up with a rather creative solution of outsourcing the delivery of training modules to an external training organization.
One module was about Organizational Culture and Values. External trainers would not be appropriate for such training delivery. Through this meditative exercise of brainwriting, it occurred to me that we could engage a couple of retirees from our organization who were well respected facilitators. The outsourced organization was asked to hire these retirees as contract trainers and deploy them to deliver this unique training in our organization. The VP thought it was a brilliant solution and it was implemented with success.
The term Lateral Thinking was coined in 1967 by Edward de Bono. According to de Bono, lateral thinking deliberately distances itself from standard perceptions of creativity as either “vertical” logic (the classic method for problem solving—working out the solution step by step from the given data) or “horizontal” imagination—having a thousand ideas but being unconcerned with the detailed implementation of them.
Critical thinking is primarily concerned with judging the true value of statements and seeking errors. Lateral thinking is more concerned with the movement value of statements and ideas. A person uses lateral thinking to move from one known idea to creating new ideas.
The use of a set of criteria is necessary in a variety of professional practices where a judgment or a decision has to be made based on a common understanding of a rule or a test. One approach is to use lateral thinking for identifying an initial set of criteria and then further refining it for some specific use. The example used here is of a community college that is attempting to improve their student enrollment process. The improvement team must identify criteria for evaluating the new design of the process—before they come up with ideas for changes.
Process
- Agree on the purpose. (In our example it is to determine criteria for the redesign of the student enrollment process.)
- On a flip chart, draw a table with three columns as shown in Table 12.5.
Table 12.5 – Attributes, Stretch Thinking, Criteria
(Example: Empty Water Bottle)
Attributes
Stretch Thinking (brainstorm)
Criteria
Plastic
Not expensive, durable
Cost effective to manage the process
Empty
Paperless, multiple content, mass customization
Flexible Process
Label
Informative
Clear Documentation
Blue top
Branding
Brand the Project
Thin
Lean, Streamlined
Lean Process (no waste)
16 Oz.
Size, Capacity
Scalable to changing student demographics
Clear
Transparent
Transparent and easy to follow process
Recyclable
Reusable
Repeatable
Flexible
Adaptable
Adaptable to changing student needs
Container
End result, self-contained, location, infrastructure
End-to-end seamless process flow
Shape
Efficient
Efficient Process
Refillable
Reusable
Applicable in multiple locations of the college
- Ask the group to pick any one object in the room. Ask one participant to point to the object he/she has chosen. (In our example it is an empty water bottle.)
- Ask the group to randomly call out attributes or characteristics of the identified object and list them in the first column: Attributes.
- Ask the group to stretch their thinking for each of the attributes in the left column in terms of how they might be used to standardize the student enrollment process. Show one example to the group for clarity. Identify their responses in the second column: Stretch Thinking.
- For the third column, Criteria, have the group discuss and determine which of these items would be meaningful to them for evaluating the redesign of the process in question and change the wording to suit the applicability.
- Identify next steps for how these criteria will be used and presented to key stakeholders for gaining their agreement.
Process Scope Diagram (Tool #23)
A Scope Diagram can be used for a variety of objectives in organizations. For instance scoping an organizational unit such as a department; ways of working for a team; project scope; business process scope; developing products, services, or strategies; and so on. The template is called the Burlton Diagram, named after Roger Burlton who modified the earlier concept developed for process analysis in the US Government. I further improvised the concept by classifying the process Guides into three types: Governance, Rules and Knowledge. The template is commonly referred to by the acronym IGOE: Inputs, Guides, Outputs and Enablers.
Inputs are transformed into Outputs. Guides are the rules and knowledge needed to manage the scope. Enablers are roles people play; technology such as systems; and infrastructure such as facilities, hardware, communications, etc. The Inputs come from particular sources and the Outputs go to designated destinations. You can also conduct a “health check” of the scoped area of analysis for improvements.
Process
- Agree on the topic (a business process in this case) to be analyzed for improvement.
- Create an IGOE template on a large chart as in Figure 12.17, and have the participants identify Outputs, Inputs, Guides and Enablers. (Using the principle of “begin with end in mind,” identify outputs first.) Also identify Trigger Events that kickoff the execution of a process.
Figure 12.17 – Process Scope Diagram Template (IGOE)
- Identify process and stakeholder touch points on outputs side and input side.
- Conduct process “health check” around all items that constitute a process. Establish a legend for marking items. Red = broken/not working well. Yellow = so/so. Green = okay. (Colored dots can also be used for this purpose.)
- Prioritize and identify areas for improvement.
Here is an example of the Process Scope Diagram for the Recruit and Hire Employee Process.
Figure 12.18 – Recruit and Hire Employees Process Scope Diagram
The diagrams that represent a process flow are called Process Models or, simply, Process Maps. These are typically developed after the Process Scope Diagram has been created. (See Tool #23, Process Scope Diagram.)
Industry standards exist on how process models/maps should be documented that include BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation), otherwise known as “swimlanes,” and are outside of the scope of this book.
A simple yet effective way of developing a process map using another tool is documented in this chapter, See Tool #4, Creative Visualization: Rich Picture exercise. A Rich Picture is a visual chart created by a group of participants who have vested interest in the performance of the process.
Process
- Rich Picture. Reference the steps in Tool #4, Creative Visualization, to create a Rich Picture of the business process-in-focus. See Figure 12.19. This Rich Picture is developed by a group for the Recruit and Hire Employees Process.
- Process Activities. On a flip chart, identify each of the activities from beginning to end as the process flows. In the left column identify what is going on and in the right column give it a name in the verb-noun convention of naming processes. See Table 12.6.
- Process Map. Document a process map flow, from left to right showing the beginning and end of the process. See Figure 12.20.
Figure 12.19 – Rich Picture
Table 12.6 – Flip Chart Information
|
Vacancy (manager’s unhappy face) |
Identify Need |
|
Money available to create a job request on computer system (Bag of Dollars) |
Secure Budget |
|
Decision to be made to regarding internal or external recruiting (Decision Boxes) |
Determine Candidate Sourcing |
|
Post job (Computer System) |
Post Job |
|
Candidates apply for job (several candidates) |
Receive Application |
|
Interview on phone to screen candidates |
Screen Candidates |
|
Interview and select (panel interview) |
Interview and Select |
|
Make offer and formally hire as employee (job offer and deployment) |
Make Job Offer and Hire |
Figure 12.20 – Business Process Map/Model
A Priority Matrix helps classify information based on perceived value of the level of effort required to implement ideas or solutions. A Priority Matrix is also called a Payoff Matrix.
Process
- Purpose. Establish the purpose and scope of brainstorming and prioritization. Make a template on a chart as shown in Figure 12.21.
- Brainstorm. Conduct brainstorming for ideas using sticky notes (one idea/concept per sticky note). Have participants discuss and gain agreement, and place the sticky notes on one of the four quadrants as appropriate, based on impact and effort needed to implement.
- Clustering. Conduct affinity analysis by clustering like items. Create title themes for these clusters based on the subject matter.
- Prioritization. Give a set number of colored dots to participants and vote on the clusters. The top three or five clusters, as established by the greatest number of dots, become the candidates for next action.
Figure 12.21 – Priority Matrix
Appreciative Inquiry and Kipling’s “Framework” (Tool #26)
Asking the right questions about a topic of interest by anyone is very important. For a facilitator, the art of developing questions is a critical skill. At the time of engagement of an assignment, asking the right questions establishes a productive relationship with the client to gain a clear understanding of expectations.
To solicit the right information from the stakeholder interviews, specific and comprehensive questions need be developed. During sessions, facilitators continually ask questions of the participants to engage them in promoting appropriate discussions and assisting in the decision making process. And occasionally, groups need to formulate questions to address the support of new products and services being planned. The following tools are practical for developing questions by an individual or in a group setting.
Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an organization development tool that promotes asking questions in a positive way, such as, “What worked well in the past?” and “What might be possible in the future?” rather than focusing on “What is wrong?” It is philosophical approach of thinking of what is good and can be made better instead of focusing on problems alone.
Developed and extended since the mid-eighties primarily by students and faculty of the Department of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University, AI revolutionized the field of organization development and was a precursor to the rise of positive organization studies and the strengths-based movement in American management. In the original 1987 article on AI by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva, they argued that the overuse of problem-solving reduced the ability of managers and researchers to come up with new theories and models of organizing. More details on this topic are widely available elsewhere. Here I want to show you a practical application of how you may create questions using the AI technique.
Sue Annis Hammond, in The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry, has identified eight assumptions that simplify the understanding of AI’s application:
- In every society, organization or group, something works.
- What we focus on becomes our reality.
- Reality is created in the moment, and there are multiple realties.
- The act of asking questions of an organization or group influences the group in some way.
- People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known).
- If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past.
- It is important to value differences.
- The language we use creates our reality.
Sample Questions using Appreciative Inquiry
- Describe a time when you felt the department’s employees collaborated among each other really well—as a team.
- Describe a time when you were proud to be a member of that team. Why were you proud?
- What do you value most about being a team member of that department? Why?
Questions framed in this way provide profound insights of what has been good and can be even better.
Kipling’s “Framework”
I have found that for formulating questions for any purpose, Rudyard Kipling’s poem The Elephant’s Child in his story provides me with a practical framework—one that works every time. Born in Bombay, India (now Mumbai), Joseph Rudyard Kipling is considered one of the greatest English writers and was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907.
Rudyard Kipling’s Story: The Elephant’s Child
(Partial poem from the story)
I KEEP six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest…
The six words What, Why, When, How, Where, and Who are the basis of thinking through formulation of questions. As a facilitator, whether you are preparing for an interview with the clients or stakeholders, or conducting a work session and must engage the participants in a meaningful dialogue, Kipling’s “six serving-men” are your friends indeed.
I have also used this framework of six words when I am asked to how to write a strategy or a position paper. The concept is simple yet powerful when you are starting to write on a blank piece of paper.
Questions Brainstorming (Tool #27)
This process involves brainstorming the questions, rather than trying to come up with immediate answers and short-term solutions. Theoretically, this technique should not inhibit participation as there is no need to provide solutions. Through brainstorming, questions are identified, clustered into themes, and then become input to the feasibility of an organization’s plan.
Process
- Establish the precise purpose for developing questions and the expected outcomes. For example: What questions need to be addressed for the launch of a new service that makes snacks available through vending machines? The team is made of cross-functional subject matter experts.
- Hold a general brainstorming session about what aspects of this idea the group should be thinking about. For example, the result is a set of ideas that include cost, return on investment, technology, locations, and competition.
- Sub-Teams. Agree on and create sub-teams based on the topics that need to be addressed and for which the questions must be created. For example: finance, technology, location, marketing, and so on. Introduce aids in framing questions (such as Kipling’s “six serving-men”).
- Questions Brainstorming. Each sub-team brainstorms only the questions to be addressed (not solutions). Each team clusters their items into relevant themes and reports out to the entire group. For example, the Technology Sub-Team’s themes may include space, utilities, maintenance, security, consumer interface, and others.
- Agree on next steps for conducting a feasibility study of all aspects of this initiative.
- Agree on project lead and membership and next steps.
Note: This tool was inspired by Q-Storming™ for Innovation: An Inquiry Method for Generating Breakthroughs, by Andrea Zintz, Ph.D. Senior Vice President. Based on QuestionThinking™—a method developed by Marilee Adams, Ph.D.
Relaxation Response—Meditation (Tool #28)
Osho (Rajnish), one of the Indian philosophers known for teaching meditation (among other aspects of life), described mediation this way: “Remember one thing: meditation means awareness. Whatsoever you do with awareness is meditation. Action is not the question, but the quality that you bring to your action. Walking can be a meditation if you walk alertly. Sitting can be a meditation if you sit alertly. Listening to the birds can be a meditation if you listen with awareness. Just listening to the inner noise of your mind can be a meditation if you remain alert and watchful.”
For participants in work sessions to relax, they need to be aware and watchful of what is happening by being alert and in the moment. It is all in the mind.
Dr. Herbert Benson is a Mind/Body Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI) at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a pioneer in mind/body medicine, one of the first Western physicians to bring spirituality and healing into medicine. His work serves as a bridge between medicine and religion, East and West, mind and body, and belief and science. In his research, the mind and body are one system, in which meditation can play a significant role in reducing stress responses. Per Dr. Benson, the relaxation response is a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress and is the opposite of the fight or flight response.
Dr. Benson amalgamates Eastern and Western methods of meditation into the concept of Relaxation Response and proposes a Tibetan “two step process.” First, you evoke the Relaxation Response and reap its healthy rewards. Then, when your mind is quiet and when focusing has opened a door in your mind, visualize an outcome that is meaningful to you.
Disclaimer: The author of this book does not have qualifications and expertise in medicine or spiritual sciences. The reader needs to practice this technique to be comfortable using this tool.
Process
Permission. Ask the participants if everyone is comfortable with the idea of you showing and using the meditation technique of relaxation. If they are not, then it is better to use another tool for relaxation.
- Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system.
- Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes.
- Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, head, and neck.
- Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself as you exhale.
- Assume a passive attitude. Don’t worry about how well you’re doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, “Oh well,” and gently return to your repetition.
- Continue for ten to twenty minutes.
- Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising.
- Practice the technique once or twice daily. The best times to meditate are before breakfast and before dinner.
RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) responsibility charting is a technique used for establishing roles and responsibilities of cross-functional work teams. In addition to a common agreement on who does what when, this technique helps bring into the open any issues that need to be resolved regarding responsibility and accountability. While there can be many roles for a function or a process representing R, C, and I, there can be only one A—the accountable person. The objective of RACI Charting is to:
- Identify and clarify individual roles in a functional area, project, or process.
- Define roles: who is accountable, who is responsible, who is to be consulted, and who is to be informed.
- Align team members’ work activities to eliminate redundancy, remove any ambiguity in decision points, and promote cooperation.
RACI Charting use includes: organization and team design, project management, process management, and communication plans.
Why is RACI needed?
Consider the tale of four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, And Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was everybody’s job. Everybody thought that anybody could do it but nobody realized that everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have done.
~ (Author unknown)
If this story sounds familiar in real life scenarios, then it is clear that RACI can help establish accountability among team members to ensure cooperation and collaboration for success.
Table 12.7 – RACI Guide
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Responsible (The Doer) |
The one who is responsible for activities The “Responsibly” is defined by “A” the accountable one Responsibility can be shared by others |
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Accountable (The Buck Stops Here) |
There is only one “A” role in one scoped area for charting The “A” Accountable role has Yes/No Veto authority |
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Consulted (Keep in the Loop) |
The role to be consulted before final decision Provides special or subject matter expertise Has two-way communication |
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Informed (FYI—For Your Information) |
Informed as and when needed—particularly after a decision is made One-way communication |
Figure 12.22 contains a RACI template (general) for organizational units, functions, and projects.
Figure 12.22 – RACI Template (General)
Figure 12.23 contains a RACI Template for a sales process.
Figure 12.23 – RACI Template (For a Specific Business Process)
Ishikawa (a.k.a. “Fishbone”) (Tool #30)
Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams or cause-and-effect diagrams) were first used in the twenties (and later popularized by Kaoru Ishikawa in the sixties) and show the causes of a specific event. The Ishikawa diagram is used for discovering root causes of problems in a variety of situations. The topic may include products or services or any other area in an organization where improvement is needed. The causes are grouped into some logical themes for further analysis and actions.
The diagram template has the main topic identified on one end as the “head of a fish” and like the skeleton of a fish there are side “bones” or areas to identify issues and cluster them into themes. The participants make the template, identifying one topic or problem area of focus. Then they brainstorm causes of the problem around each “bone” and cluster the causes into logical themes relevant to the topic. The themes can also be identified first if the topic of focus is very familiar to the participants.
In the example in Figure 12.24, after the barnstorming is done, the team decides to identify some Quick Win actions to fix the problem in an agreed timeframe.
Figure 12.24 – Root Cause Analysis Example
“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn.
Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”
~ Indian Proverb
From the beginning of human history, messages of all aspects of life have been transferred to others through stories. Early humans passed down these stories through verbal communication, petroglyphs, hieroglyphs, and later through writing as the written word was invented. Now these messages are communicated through multi-media mechanisms such as films, digital equipment, music, and other devices.
Whether you’re facilitating for a religious institution, a non-profit/for-profit organization, or any group in society, stories are powerful tools for communicating ideas and messages. Storytelling is extremely effective for opening sessions, framing topics of focus, and inspiring and engaging participants. Stories can range from commercial, historical, spiritual, and geographical in nature to nearly any genre you can think of. So, what do we mean by story?
In his book, Story, Robert McKee states, “A story is not only what you have to say but how you say it...we shape the telling to fit the substance.” In facilitation, finding a story that is relevant to the topic is a matter of awareness and research. The ability to deliver stories with impact is an art form that facilitators should develop and practice. A facilitator, both for transfer of knowledge and for work sessions needs to be ready to use stories on a variety of subjects, and must be a good story teller.
Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary defines a story to be “An account of incidents and events; a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question…” For our purpose here, a facilitator’s library of stories is referred to as “Stories” (in quotes). “Stories” include anecdotes, figurative language, humor, poetry, fables, and all story subjects including commerce, wellbeing, history, geography, science, people, places, and so on. Note that it is important to ensure that certain principles govern the “Stories” in terms of content—in the context of facilitation.
Principles for “Stories”
- They must be honorable in content and delivered respectably and artfully.
- Stay away from topics that include religion, politics, sex, alternative life styles, ethnicity, and any other aspect that might offend the participants or society in general.
- When using war stories for making a point, first ask permission of the audience before you deliver it (many people find talk about wars to be offensive).
- There should be a deliberate purpose/message in the story that is relevant to the topic at hand unless it is a “filler,” an icebreaker, or a humorous way to frame a topic or to make the transition between activities interesting.
- Authenticate the material for its credibility in terms of source and meaning.
- In cross-cultural situations, be aware of any sensitivity to story topics.
Figurative Language—What’s What
Here are examples of figurative language that you should be aware of when developing “Stories” for presentations or workshops.
- Analogy: Similarity in some respects between things otherwise unlike; partial resemblance. An explanation of something by comparing it point by point with something similar. Example: Like a ship sailing a stormy sea.
- Anecdote: A short account of an incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical. (Source: The FreeDictionary)
- Simile: A figure of speech in which two dissimilar things are compared using “like” or “as.” Example: His heart is as big as a whale.
- Metaphor: A figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily associated with one thing is applied to another. Example: All the world is a stage. Mixed Metaphors—Using two or more inconsistent metaphors in a single expression. Example: The storm of protest was nipped in the bud.
- Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect and not meant to be taken literally. Example: His speech lasted about three weeks.
- Paraprosdokian: is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. Examples: “Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.” “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” “I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure.”
Some Thoughts on Humor
Humor in presentations and work sessions helps balance the seriousness of the material and creates a new perspective for conveying the message you’re trying to get across. Humor promotes fun in a session and helps gain the attention of the audience in an engaging manner. Ron Culberson, a humorist, classifies the use of humor in three areas: Verbal Humor, Visual Humor and Experiential Humor (Reference: ronculberson.com):
- Verbal Humor: Use personal funny stories, funny quotations, or humor experienced by others. Use jokes if they are unique and not generally accessible to others.
- Visual Humor: Use fun props as visual aids. Use creative and funny slides including cartoons. Have video clips available that are relevant to the topic at hand.
- Experiential Humor: Invite the audience to participate in a funny quiz or questions. Have funny props that sub-groups can use as a humorous exercise.
When incorporated in workshops, these humor types may be considered yet another effective engager. Humor can be created around the subject-of-focus using organizational tribal knowledge—as an example. The quotes are succinct and easy to memorize.
Planning Template for “Stories”
This template can be used as a guide to develop ideas for “Stories.” Invite the audience to participate in a funny quiz or questions. Use funny props.
A library and a catalogue of “Stories” are essential for facilitators. This material should be easily accessible based on the type of engagement you are asked to support.
Table 12.8 – “Stories” Planning Template
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Topic? |
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Who is the audience? |
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The message I want to convey is? |
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Why and how would this message benefit the audience? |
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What “Stories” can I use (verbal, visual, or experiential)? |
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Prepare the material: Writing, slides, videos, etc. |
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Rehearse the material delivery. |
Examples of “Stories”
Aesop’s Fables: Aesop’s Fables is a collection of short-stories with a moral credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with Aesop’s name have descended to modern times through a number of sources. They continue to be reinterpreted in different verbal registers and in popular as well as artistic mediums.
The Miser and His Gold
Once upon a time there was a Miser who used to hide his gold at the foot of a tree in his garden; but every week he used to go and dig it up and gloat over his gains. A robber, who had noticed this, went and dug up the gold and decamped with it. When the Miser next came to gloat over his treasures, he found nothing but the empty hole. He tore his hair, and raised such an outcry that all the neighbors came around him, and he told them how he used to come and visit his gold.
“Did you ever take any of it out?” asked one of them.
“Nay,” said he, “I only came to look at it.”
“Then come again and look at the hole,” said a neighbor; “it will do you just as much good.”
Moral: Wealth unused might as well not exist.
Mullah Nasrudin is a folk hero of medieval origin who has jokes and anecdotes with a message. Middle East and Central Asia claim him as their own. His role changes. Sometimes he is a sage, sometimes a fool; he is a courtier, beggar, physician, judge and teacher. Whether his anecdotes are studied for their hidden wisdom, or enjoyed for their pungent humor, they are an enduring part of the world’s cultural heritage.
High Cost of Learning
Mullah Nasrudin decided that he could benefit by learning something new. He went to see a master musician. “How much do you charge to teach lute-playing?”
“Three silver pieces for the first month; after that, one silver piece a month.”
“Excellent!” said Nasrudin. “I shall begin with the second month.”
Message: The development of skills and competency is accomplished through planning, learning, and application. Clearly there are no short cuts.
Sample Quotations for Various Occasions
Behavior:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
~ Maya Angelou, American Author, Poet, Actress, and Singer
Call to Action:
“Talk does not cook rice.”
~ Chinese proverb (found in a fortune cookie)
Conflict:
“He who is hard pressed will regard the greatest daring as the greatest wisdom.”
~ Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz, German General and Military Theorist
Development:
“Reading maketh a full man, writing an exact man,
and conversation a ready man.”
~ Francis Bacon, English Philosopher and Statesman
Humor:
After all is said and done, more is said than done.
~ Aesop, Greek storyteller
Intelligence:
“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
~ Albert Einstein, German-born Theoretical Physicist
Leadership:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more
and become more, you are a leader.”
~ John Quincy Adams, American Statesman and Sixth President
Life:
“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”
~ Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
Productivity:
“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient
what should not be done at all.”
~ Peter Drucker, American Management Consultant
Personal Stories
Stories and anecdotes from your personal experiences make very interesting engagers and fillers in workshops. I maintain a library of these experiences in my toolkit. Here are some examples of my personal experiences at home which I narrate occasionally as fillers in my workshops.
My Instruction Manual
My wife tells me regularly:
- Don’t walk quickly; you are raising dust from the carpet.
- Every time I open the refrigerator, I see your finger marks on it. Can’t you just touch the handle?
- If there is something wrong in the house somewhere, I can count on it being your handiwork.
- You are too loud, use your “inside voice.”
My Retirement Vision
When I was in a corporate job, I had this vision of retiring early, becoming a part-time consultant and working out my home-office. One of the perks would be to get a cup of coffee, go into my home-office in my pajamas, and log into my computer.
- Around lunchtime, I called to my wife from downstairs and asked her to make me a sandwich for lunch. She replied, “Come over to the steps.” When I did so, she told me, “At this time I’m watching a soap opera on the kitchen TV. You are on your own; make your sandwich. But if you come upstairs to eat, keep your mouth shut!”
- Again around 3:00 p.m., I called to my wife and asked her to make me a cup of tea that I could take downstairs in my office. I heard her say, “This time I’m watching another soap opera. Get a coffee machine for your office.”
So, the message was clear: become a consultant and get out of the house to do work. I became a full-time facilitator.
Stories such as these depict human drama that everyone can relate to. When you tell honorable and appropriate stories about your own self and at your own expense, they promote good humor and offend no one.
Strategy Development and Value Proposition (Tool #32)
In the book, The Discipline of Market Leaders, authors Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema identify three dimensions that every organization must be competent in: Customer Intimacy, Product Leadership and Operation Excellence. They further propose that to be successful, organizations must be good in all dimensions but can excel and be known for only one.
Inspired by the approach of three dimensions, I created a Value Proposition Model (shown in Figure 12.25). I added the term “service” along with the “product” dimension and have successfully used this model as a technique to develop value propositions and their supporting strategies. I have found that this model works equally well for value proposition/strategies development at all levels of organizational units, including business units, divisions, and departments.
Figure 12.25 – Value Proposition Model
Process
Understand the purpose and scope of the organizational unit for which the value proposition and strategies are to be developed. Explain this technique to the sponsor and the participants of the workshop. Develop a Running Order Agenda based on the following steps:
- Customer Intimacy: This dimension is about understanding the customers and their expectations for delivery of products and services. (Note that stakeholders includes customers.) Through brainstorming, identify a list of customers/stakeholders of the organization-in-focus. Use large- to medium-size sticky notes in this and the remainder of the steps.
- Expected Value: Have the participants develop expectations of each of the stakeholder types by asking a question such as: “What value do the stakeholders expect when their organization delivers products and services at their best?” Cluster these ideas into themes.
- Products and Service Leadership: Have the participants brainstorm and identify products and services that deliver the expected value to stakeholders/customers as represented in the themes identified in step 2. Cluster the products/service into themes.
- Operational Excellence: This dimension includes processes, organizations/people roles, technology, infrastructure, and other factors peculiar to the organization of focus. Have the participants brainstorm in each of these categories to determine items that ensure that through the operations of the organizational unit, products and services are delivered at the expected or promised value proposition.
- Mission, Vision, Strategies and Programs: As shown in the middle of the “triangle” in Figure 12.22, first, the Mission statement can be developed by looking at the themes of all three of the dimensions (Mission is the purpose of being or existence). Second, a Vision statement can be developed (Vision is the desired future state). Based on the purpose of the workshop, now the Strategies can be identified around all three dimensions. The strategies would align the value proposition, delivery of product and service, and the needed operational enablers. The Programs to execute the identified strategies can be further developed by using Program/Project Management techniques.
Note: At the conclusion of this exercise, an optional discussion can be held on what one dimension the organization is known for or would want to be known for. Sticky-dots can be used to have the participants vote for their personal view. The result of this exercise could be very important for shaping the strategies in support of the value proposition.
(This tool was created by Edward de Bono in his book Six Thinking Hats.)
This technique opens up the opportunity for creativity within information gathering and decision making. The technique also helps persistently pessimistic people to be positive and creative. Six Thinking Hats is a good technique for looking at the effects of a decision from a number of different points of view.
Many successful people think from a very rational, positive viewpoint. This is part of the reason that they are successful. Often, though, they fail to look at a problem from an emotional, intuitive, creative, or negative viewpoint. This can mean that they underestimate resistance to plans, fail to make creative leaps, and do not make essential contingency plans.
Similarly, pessimists may be excessively defensive, and more emotional people may fail to look at decisions calmly and rationally.
If you look at a problem using the Six Thinking Hats technique, you will solve it using all approaches. Your decisions and plans will mix ambition, skill in execution, public sensitivity, creativity, and good contingency planning.
You can use Six Thinking Hats in meetings or on your own. In meetings it has the benefit of blocking confrontations that happen when people with different thinking styles discuss the same problem. Each “thinking hat” is a different style of thinking. They are explained in Table 12.9.
Table 12.9 – Six Thinking Hats
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White Hat |
With this thinking hat, you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them. This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data. |
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Yellow Hat |
The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult. |
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Green Hat |
The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you here. |
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Red Hat |
‘Wearing’ the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning. |
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Black Hat |
Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them. Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans ‘tougher’ and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties. |
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Blue Hat |
The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, etc. |
Process
Buy a set of Six Thinking Hats cards. In your meetings and workshops, depending upon the topic at hand, pick up one of the cards and announce that you are about to gather information on the issue/challenged and raise the colored card that is relevant to the specific intent. Then proceed to capture the ideas generated on a flip chart (or have someone volunteer for this). Similarly use other hat cards as appropriate.
Visuals are very effective tools for the mind to make meetings, facilitation, and training interesting and engaging. While everyone is not a professional artist, there is an artist in everyone. We all have the ability to draw simple icons and images on flip charts, presentations, and charts that are relevant to the topic at hand.
Figure 12.26 – Visual Dictionary (Simple Icons/Stick Figures/Images for Drawing)
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Voice Care: Tips on Caring for Your Voice (Tool #35)
By: Carol Weiss Riches
As an opera singer and voice teacher for over forty years, I have learned some things about voice care that might be helpful to those who find themselves with tired or strained voices. Talking for long, uninterrupted periods can be very fatiguing to one’s vocal cords, so the “trick” is to try to rest them at various intervals. Of course, this is easy to say but how do you do this when you’re giving an all-day seminar? My suggestion is to leave the lecture area during your breaks and use that time as your rest period. If you have a group lunch, use part of that time, too (all of it if possible) or perhaps go to your quiet hotel room. The “key” is to not talk and rest your voice.
I hate to say it, but alcohol is not helpful either. We all know that a small amount can help with a mild case of the jitters but it can swell the vocal cords, and that’s not good. I have found the most beneficial drink to keep the throat open is warm herbal tea with honey. Take a thermos with you to sip during your sessions. I like Lemon Zinger by Celestial Seasonings, and it also helps with phlegm. As you might guess, ice water should be avoided—it can tighten up your throat.
Standing out in very cold weather and having long conversations with colleagues is not helpful to your voice. I’ve always required high school cheerleaders to begin voice studies after football season as it is an exercise in futility to begin sooner. The combination of yelling and the cold just shreds their voices. Opera singers are often joked about because they wrap their faces and necks in warm scarves and wear hats in the cold. But, our livelihood is to make beautiful sounds and when you’re sick and/or hoarse you can’t do your job!
Being nervous or even “keyed-up” can lead to dry mouth, not very pleasant, but there are over-the-counter artificial saliva sprays available—Oasis Moisturizing Mouth Spray and Stoppers 4 Dry Mouth Spray—that can temporarily solve the problem. I’ve always kept a small bottle in my costume pocket and voilà—no more lips sticking to my teeth!
A very helpful vocal cord protection gargle can come from your own kitchen cabinets. My students and friends alike “swear” by it. Start with ¼ teaspoon each of baking soda, Karo syrup and salt. Mix these ingredients with 6 oz. of warm water and gargle for three minutes. Then have nothing to eat or drink for ten minutes.
Continual abuse of one’s voice can lead to damage to the vocal cords, including nodes (bumps) and, in extreme cases, (as with some rock singers) bleeding vocal cords. I’ve worked with a few voice students recommended by their throat doctor to work on changing their singing technique to alleviate their developing nodes. Teaching them to breathe properly helped a great deal. Proper breathing supports the voice and relieves quite a bit of stress that can be put on the cords. Working with a vocal teacher or coach can also be beneficial. The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) has a website (www.nats.org) that can guide you to speech coaches, and so on, in your area.