by John Brooker | Mar 28, 2016 | Collaborate, Develop Opportunities, Facilitate meetings, Innovate, Overcome Challenges, Tools
Have you ever rejected a solution from people on your team because it was not well thought through or not clear enough? Despite being a good idea, one reason a solution can fail to gain support or funding is because the innovator fails to either explain it properly or convince decision makers they have thought it through thoroughly. This can lead to negative responses, critical questioning and a chastened innovator. For the company, it can mean potentially good solutions lost and perhaps fewer ideas submitted in the future. In this short and practical article we explain how people on your team can develop a clear and powerful statement that enables the relevant people to understand it and make a sound decision on whether to proceed. This is an initial presentation of the solution, not a business case, something As a general rule, the proposition statement should include the following points: Specify who the problem impacts State what problem the proposition solves Describe the solution, explaining how it solves the problem (benefits) and how much of the problem it solves Explain how it differs from competing products These four points provide a statement that explains the basic proposition. Now to appraise and hone that proposition people need to: Show the issues and risks to be managed State who else has a significant stake in this solution, how interested they might be in it, what their level of influence is and how likely are they to use it Be clear on any data / information needed to progress Suggest solutions to overcome difficulties Identify the resources required to progress the solution...
by John Brooker | Mar 28, 2016 | Collaborate, Develop Opportunities, Facilitate meetings, Innovate, Overcome Challenges, Tools
“Before thinking outside the box, perhaps you might make the box bigger.” John Brooker Understanding and widening the boundaries of a situation can help you to create more options and potentially, better solutions… When I am facilitating workshops, I ask people what they want me to do to make the workshop outstanding. Someone will usually say, “Help us think outside the box”, i.e. facilitate the team to be more creative. While “thinking outside the box” is a valid request, I like to respond, “Before you think outside the box, how might you make the make the box bigger?” This question usually produces puzzled looks and no wonder, as “think outside the box” derives from the old nine dot puzzle of how to connect all nine dots with a single unbroken line. No matter how big you make that box, you are still going to have to go outside the box to obtain a result. To avoid confusion, let me explain that in my response, I mix box metaphors. My metaphorical box has six sides. It is a constricted thinking space people create in their mind because they: Apply “rules” that may not apply for this new situation, e.g., “HQ pay for training.” Make assumptions that may prove unfounded, e.g., “There is no budget for this.” Bring their biases and prejudices to the situation, e.g., “That level of staff could not be trusted to do that.” Allow their egos to impact upon the situation, e.g., “Only we can do that.” Take a narrow perspective on the situation, e.g., “Our cost centre can’t afford this.” Unnecessarily shorten their thinking time etc. e.g.,...
by John Brooker | Sep 7, 2015 | Collaborate, Facilitate meetings, Free Articles, Overcome Challenges, Tools
“Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it” Alan Perlis – Computer Scientist How might you have a team explore complex situations? I was facilitating a workshop in August in which people had to explore a situation. I decided I would use Rich Pictures. Rich Pictures are used in the method known as “Soft Systems Methodology”. This is a method used to structure thinking about complex organisational systems. I first came across the Rich Pictures technique in the Open University course on Creativity, Innovation and Change and have used it for many years with groups. The example shows a Rich Picture. It represents just one perspective of the situation and would need to be brought together with other pictures to discuss and create an overall picture. This is a technique that people sometimes misunderstand, so I put together an explanation and some guidelines for the attendees. I thought you might find this useful, though you might want to adapt the guidelines to suit your style. People use Rich Pictures to portray complicated situations in a snapshot. A Rich Picture can help you summarise the situation using cartoons, sketches, line drawings, stick people, symbols and key words. I have also used photographs that people cut from magazines. In it you represent as much of the situation as possible e.g. its structure, how things connect and relate, what is important, what influences different aspects etc. This is all fairly objective, so it is also useful to include some more subjective aspects as well. Principles To help interpret a situation, choose symbols, scenes or images that represent...
by John Brooker | Sep 4, 2015 | Facilitate meetings, Tools
“Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.”
Charles Kaufmann, Screenwriter How can you hear from all of your team efficiently in meetings? Anyone who has attended facilitation training with me, or has read many Yes! And. Blogs, is aware that I advocate you break a group in to small teams (preferably three in a team) for discussion and exercises and constant changing the structure of the teams. I bring the small teams back together as a group to share and consolidate their findings. This approach encourages divergent thinking and allows everyone to participate and have their say. It has much more energy. Quieter people tend to become more involved. Moving people around provides variety and interest. It is usually quicker and more productive than whole group discussion. A wider range of ideas surfaces too because the group is not led by the thinking of just one person and there is less opportunity for people to be bored. Recently though, I ran a workshop where the client wanted to ensure that everyone heard the opinion of each person in the team, at least once in the meeting, because it was a fairly new team. I thought readers might find it useful to know the two tools I used. Ralph Watson, a Blog reader suggested the name, “The Doughnut” for tool 1. Feel free to call them what you like. So Tool 1 – The Doughnut There was a team of 11 people. They wanted to discuss what their focus should be as a team. I placed six people in a circle facing each other and had the rest of the group sit...
by John Brooker | Jan 16, 2012 | Facilitate meetings, Innovate
YES! AND… Facilitate. Innovate. Transform – Creative Gorilla # 16 You have a choice of techniques you can use to tackle your challenges, mix and match them. “Lister: “They’re not comin’ back… I’m lost in deep space… I’m three million years from home… No life, no bed, no nothin’… Just me… and 3 1/2 tons of curry. [pause] Fan-smeggin-TASTIC!” (From, Red Dwarf, a UK TV programme) It is 11.00 p.m. You have been out for the night in a Welsh town. It is too far to walk home so you want to get a taxi. You are also hungry and want an Indian meal. Unfortunately, you have only enough money either for the taxi or the curry. How might you satisfy both needs?? I was at dinner with a team from a client the other day and one of them, Duncan, recounted the story above. His solution was both funny and ingenious. He knew the restaurant would deliver meals over a certain cost to your home. So he went in, ordered a home delivery meal and then asked if they could drop him off at the same time as the meal. Which they did! I thought Duncan’s solution showed real creativity so let’s analyse it to see what we can learn about the creative process. First, he proved a formula of creativity, Creativity = Knowledge x Imagination x Evaluation [source Parnes, with thanks to Min Basadur for providing the reference]. I will leave you to work out how Duncan proved C. He also proved, (by asking for what he wanted), that creativity is useful only if we add the...
