Generating Ideas Worth Celebrating!

In celebrating this winter holiday, especially the New Year, I realize (as I have for most years) it’s time to throw out the old and bring in the new. But I don’t really want to give up the ‘old’ but just spruce it up – like the Peanuts clan did with Charlie Brown’s withering Christmas tree.

So what needs to be changed, enhanced or just plain improved? From a facilitation perspective it has got to be around helping people to generate better ideas. Don’t get me wrong, classic brainstorming is valuable (the old), but so often the technique of ‘just say what’s on your mind’ results in ‘same old, same old’ ideas being generated.

In his book Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making Sam Kaner speaks of two types of ideation practices:

1. Familiar Ideation: this occurs when the group shares ‘in the box’ ideas, which are sanctioned by experience, culture, expertise and what is known. This is where people feel most comfortable with the process, but ideas tend to be similar to those heard before.



2. Creative Ideation: this occurs when the group is committed to going beyond the obvious or the easy, where new ideas are brought up and explored; one idea sparks new ideas. Unfamiliar ideas will have advantages and disadvantages. This requires creative methods that enable participants to go beyond the ordinary, the usual, or the ‘tried and true.’

So what I want to focus on is creating something new using some form of creative idea generation. Recently during an Advanced Facilitation Skills Workshop I discussed and presented some creative methods, including the one below using metaphors. When the group tried it out, they found that this method helped them go beyond the familiar. This is precisely what we help our groups do, especially if ‘innovation’ is desired.

The most simple way to use metaphor is to take any object and to ask the group “what are the characteristics of this object?” For example, showing an ‘apple’ might produced comments like “it’s red, it’s nutritious and good for the body, it tastes fresh, it’s easy to hold, it’s organic, it’s got a core, etc.” Once the characteristics have been defined go back to the your topic. For example, if the group needs to brainstorm ideas on how to improve the efficiency of our snow tires we then ask, looking at our defined characteristics, "how is improving efficiency like ‘something good for the body'?" Ideas that may come up include ‘they enable safer driving; they are easy to put on and take off the wheels; etc.” I find that the object you choose should be one that has some characteristics that are easy to relate to the topic being addressed.

Another method for using metaphors was created by a colleague of mine, Tom Heck, who runs the International Association of Teamwork Facilitators. He creates Metaphor Cards from pictures that he cuts out of a magazine. He creates about 30 cards, by pasting pictures on card stock. He then has the group engage in one or more of the following activities:

Frontloading - Before the start of the discussion (or the activity) ask everyone to pick a card (or two) that represents the theme they want to work on (invest in). A variation – ask the group to select the one card that represents what they believe best represents the topic they’re about to discuss.

Follow-up - After ‘familiar’ brainstorming, ask everyone to select a card (or two) and have them define one characteristic they see in the picture. Have them use that characteristic as a metaphor for defining a potential idea for the discussion topic.

Random Card - The facilitator holds the cards in their hands so that the participants cannot see the images. Participants are asked to choose one card randomly and then be prepared to share with the group WHAT new ideas this card evokes related to the discussion topic.

Note: if you don’t want to cut out pictures to make cards, just buy postcards with provocative images (how provocative will of course depend on your audience!)

The best thing I like about using metaphors to generate ideas is that it forces people to think out of the box, but most of all, it generates a lot of laughter and fun. The perfect holiday gift we facilitators can give to the groups we facilitate!

Happy holidays!

Stuck in a Parking Lot

I just ran across a great article by Kevin Eikenberry that discusses the misuses of Issue Bins or Parking Lots by meeting facilitators. For anybody not familiar with the tool, I suggest Ingrid Bens's Facilitation at a Glance. Ingrid describes Parking Lots as a means of capturing ideas outside the scope of the current agenda, to return to later on or at the next meeting. Just because an idea is tangential doesn't necessarily mean it warrants no further discussion.

Kevin's article reminds us that even with the best intentions, meeting facilitators can run out of time to address these off-track ideas or, even worse, they may choose on some level to ignore those ideas that don't fit squarely in their agenda.

The Parking Lot becomes a place where ideas go to die.

This is just one example of a meeting facilitation tool that can negatively affect participation levels or bias outcomes. Some other types of tools and respective pitfalls include:

• Questioning: using close-ended questions (instead of open-ended) to manipulate a group down a designated path that they have no interest in following
  
• Surveys: using questions that are vague, or speak to only one aspect of the issue or opportunity, thereby avoiding the 'white elephants'
• Process designs: creating a meeting structure that purposefully takes people to a desired end (i.e. your client's) rather than to where they need to go
• Warm-ups: that don't take into consideration individual abilities and mindsets of the group attending

So, how do we take Kevin's point to heart and identify and use tools that make a difference? One easy reminder is that our tools are supposed to be content-neutral and straightforward for participants (and you the facilitator) to use. We have the ability to modify tools so they fit the needs of the group we're facilitating - rather than fitting the group to the needs of the tool! For example, the Parking Lot should be considered a temporary place to put ideas/issues or opportunities on hold, with the understanding that they will be addressed at the appropriate time during the session. If time runs out, then a plan for dealing with the items in the next session should occur.

Finally, think of tools like cutlery. There are times when a fork and knife just don't cut it (excuse the pun) when eating a drumstick. Likewise, don't haphazardly use a tool because you like it or it's what the client suggested. Rather, use a tool only if makes sense for the process you're leading and helps advance the group in achieving its outcomes.

Thinking critically about tools will save you and the group you're facilitating a lot of wasted effort!

Facilitation Challenges and Solutions

New facilitators often find these two challenges tough to navigate and ask for ideas to handle them better next time. Here are some of my solutions to these situations, but I'd like to hear your suggestions and experiences.

Challenge One
I’m a subject matter expert in my department (i.e. marketing), but the only person who knows how to facilitate. Any ideas to help me handle this dual role?

My Suggestions:

• Ask questions to get people to think more broadly or more specifically. Be careful not to add too many ‘leading’ questions (i.e. should we be thinking about technology as a means to deliver our service?) as this may come across as manipulative. Rather, ask ‘what other methods of service delivery are similar
  companies using?”


• Have someone else represent your opinion that you know has similar beliefs, ideas, etc.


• Identify your area of expertise early in planning stages; agree on when and how to share it; restate this at the start of the meeting especially if there are any members present that weren’t involved at the planning stage.


• Design the agenda so that content-sharing sessions are clearly segregated from facilitated group discussions.


• If an unexpected need for your expertise arises, clearly state “I’m stepping out of the facilitator role to offer expert advice on … “ (emphasize this with a shift in posture from inviting to authoritative, step away from the flipchart). Repeat when stepping back in to the facilitator role.


• Always be clear whether you’re sharing an expert opinion (open to debate) versus non-negotiable input (mandated policy)


• State your opinion upfront and acknowledge your bias but remind the group that the meeting’s purpose is to generate/ decide on the BEST ideas; put on facilitator hat and have the group challenge you if they detect bias


• Pre-meeting, gather and collect all ideas (including yours) and email these to the group to consider for a facilitated idea prioritization session

How would you handle this challenge? Any comments on my suggestions?

Challenge Two
I’m facilitating an upcoming meeting with both senior and junior level staff. Many of the staff are new, and kudos to management for wanting to involve them in process improvement ideas. However, my concern is that ‘rank’ will impede the level of candor on the part of staff. What can I do?

P.S. I have a performance review with my boss next week and seriously don’t want to risk a CLM (career limiting move) with this upcoming meeting!

My Suggestion

I tried this recently with a group and it appeared to really have a positive impact on them. I asked the group, ‘is it possible that being candid today could be a struggle due to different status levels present?’ Many of the staff shook their head up and down instead of saying yes, which already indicated a lack of desire in being verbal.
I then said ‘OK, so would it be helpful if we left our status at the door?’ Again, most people shook their heads up and down.

I had everyone then write their full name and status on a ‘Hi my name is …’ sticker and place it on their shirt.

I then asked everyone to go to the entry door where I had posted a flipchart labeled ‘Name & Status’ (I had prepped this pre-meeting in anticipation of this problem). I asked them to remove their sticker and place it on the flipchart and return to their seat.

I said, ‘now that we’ve left our status at the door what additional guidelines could we follow that would help everyone feel more free to speak their minds? What came up were norms such as:

‘what’s said here stays here’
‘everyone gets a chance to speak their minds’
‘ there’s no such thing as a bad idea during brainstorming’

I also asked the group permission to intervene if anyone broke the guidelines and they all agreed.

The good news is that following the symbolic gesture of leaving status at the door and the voicing of guidelines, dialogue appeared to be candid and flowed much better. Feedback following the meeting indicated that people were going to use the same methods in their own meetings!

How would you handle this challenge? Any comments on my suggestions?

I'm happy to provide suggestions to your specific facilitation challenges, so feel to ask for advice in a comment.