Synergos Train the Trainer

Facilitator Toolkit and

Module Teaching Texts
September 2014
Table of Contents

Workshop / Meeting Tools Page

Participant Introductions ..................................................................................... 3
Working Agreements .......................................................................................... 4
World Café ……………………………………………………………………………… 5
Check In / Check Out .......................................................................................... 8
Head, Heart, Hand ……………………………………………………………………. 9

Basic Facilitation Tools

Flip Charts .......................................................................................................... 10
Storyboarding ..................................................................................................... 11
Dot Voting .......................................................................................................... 14
Circle of Control / Influence .............................................................................. 16
Thumbs Up ......................................................................................................... 17
Facilitated Discussion ......................................................................................... 18

Theory U Tools
Dialogue Interviews ............................................................................................ 19
Learning Journeys ............................................................................................... 21
Voices from the Field.......................................................................................... 24
Fishbowl Dialogue ............................................................................................... 25
Reflection / Journaling / Dialogue Walks ........................................................... 27
Sculpting the Current Reality and Future ......................................................... 29

Problem Solving Process Tools

Fishbone Analysis ............................................................................................... 32
Generating Solutions ..........................................................................................32
Action Planning .................................................................................................. 36

Theory U Module Teaching Texts

Listening / Conversing – Open Heart, Open Mind, Open Will ......................... 38
Advocacy / Inquiry............................................................................................... 40
Voices of Fear, Judgment, Cynicism .................................................................. 43
Alignment / Commitment .................................................................................. 45

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Workshop / Meeting Tools

Participant Introductions
What is it?
Very early in a workshop (usually after the outcomes and agenda have been presented – what
we are here for and how we will achieve it), it is important to have participants introduce
themselves and get a sense of who is in the room. Introductions should be as interactive as
possible.

What does it do?

Interactive introductions set the stage for an interactive workshop and begin the process of
having people talk openly and listen to one another.

How do I do it?
There are many different options to choose from and more can be made up. Here are a few
choices:

1. Rounds – Have participants stand and walk around and find someone they know the
least. Then for 3-5 minutes answer questions that are shown on slides. Then ring a bell,
find a new person, answer another question. Repeat this process probably no more than
3 times. This method is good because people are moving and it is very energetic and
noisy. Sample questions:
a. Give your name, organization and job. What is the meaning of your name?
b. Give your name, organization and job. What do you like about your job?
c. Give your name, organization and job. What do you like doing on vacation?
d. Give your name, organization and job. Where is your favorite place to be and
why?

2. Stories – By table group. Have each participant tell a story from their past, a past
experience (incident, event) that informs others about your personality and that makes
you who you are. Begin by taking 3-4 minutes to reflect and write in their journal. Then
3 minutes per person to share with others at their table. This method is quiet and
reflective, designed to go deeper into understanding who people really are.

3. Participants introduce one another. Get into pairs with someone you don’t know
well. They “interview” one another, asking some of the question in #1 and others, like
where were you born, what has been your favorite job, what is your family like.
Brainstorm a list of these questions with fellow facilitators and have them listed on a flip
chart or screen. Give 5 minutes or so for this. Then in front of the whole group, the
interviewer introduces his/her partner to the group. This allows a person to get to know
another person quite deeply, but this only works for smaller groups because it takes a bit
of time.

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Working Agreements
What is it?
A list of behaviors that team members agree to exhibit during the session in order to have a
productive meeting. Sometimes these are called “ground rules,” but some groups don’t like
thinking that there are “rules.”

What does it do?

 Helps team members articulate and focus on behaviors that will create good meetings
 Holds members accountable for enforcing those behaviors. Can refer back to these
behaviors if people start to stray.

How do I do it?
Sometimes facilitators create the list of behaviors and then get agreement from participants
to honor them. In the spirit of “if they do the work, they own the work” the team can also
create the behaviors themselves.

Steps:
1. Have groups at tables talk about horrible meetings they have attended and what
behaviors are present then. (Optional)

2. Turn this around and generate a list of the behaviors they want to see exhibited - the
opposite. Can write these on a flip chart, but fine to write them on notepaper.

3. Facilitator stands at a flip chart and asks for one behavior from a table group and records
that, then moves to another table.

4. Keep going around until all new behaviors are up – no duplications.

5. If there are any behaviors that the facilitator feels strongly need to be there and aren’t,
ask for permission to add those.

6. Get agreement. Since this happens very early in a meeting, could introduce thumbs up to
get agreement. If you have a group that you know is very bad about keeping agreements,
could go so far as to ask people to stand if they commit to the working agreements.

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World Café
What is it?
The World Café is a creative process for facilitating collaborative
dialogue and the sharing of knowledge and ideas to create a living
network of conversation and action. In this process a café ambiance
is created in which participants discuss a question or issue in small
groups around the café tables. At regular intervals the participants
move to a new table. One table host remains and summarises the
previous conversation to the new table guests. Thus the
conversations are cross-fertilised with the ideas generated in
former conversations with other participants. At the end of the
process the main ideas are summarised in a plenary session and
follow-up possibilities are discussed.

The World Café originated with Juanita Brown and David Isaacs.

What does it do?

The World Café process is particularly useful in the following situations:
To engage large groups (larger than 12 persons) in an authentic dialogue process
(Groups of 1200 have been conducted!)
When you want to generate input, share knowledge, stimulate innovative thinking and
explore action possibilities around real life issues and questions
 To engage people in authentic conversation – whether they are meeting for the first
time or have established relationships with each other
 To conduct in-depth exploration of key strategic challenges or opportunities
 To deepen relationships and mutual ownership of outcomes in an existing group
 To create meaningful interaction between a speaker and the audience.

The Café is less useful when:

 You are driving toward an already determined solution or answer
 You want to convey only one-way information
 You are making detailed implementation plans
 You have fewer than 12 persons (In this case, it is better to use a more traditional
dialogue circle, council or other approach for fostering authentic conversation.).

How do I do it?
The World Café methodology can be used for hosting independent event or as a part of a
leadership or participatory workshop. In this toolkit, we will cover the process for using the
World Café as tool to facilitate dialogue during a leadership workshop.

Steps
1. Preparation in:
 Clarify the purpose/ topic: Clarity of purpose helps in selecting the right questions for
inquiry and exploration. Along with the design team and sponsors, explore: what is

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the purpose of the workshop/ meeting? What would help in deepening dialogue
among various stakeholders participating in the dialogue?

 Select the questions that matter: As mentioned above, the world café consists of
multiple small group dialogues on issues that matter. Depending on the time available
you may select 2-3 simple, clear & thought provoking questions that would generate
energy, surface unconscious assumptions & open new possibilities. Each question
would lead to a deep dialogue that may go for 30-45 minutes in small tables of 5-6
people each.
 Give Café a name: Sometimes it helps to give café a name that is appropriate for its
purpose, for example Leadership Café, Knowledge Café; Strategy Café; Discovery
Café and so forth.
 Create a hospitable space: Most profound conversations take place in spaces like
kitchen tables, dining tables, cafés, etc., that provide freedom, exploration and safety
for deep dialogue. Thus we focus on creating a café-like ambience with round tables
sitting, natural light, soft music (optional), enough walking space, etc. On each table
place paper as table covers and thick sketch pens/ markers that people can use to
draw or doodle while engaging in conversations. Sometimes under the paper are
checkered tablecloths to make it look like a café.

The Café event:

1. Context setting: Setting up the World Café includes clarifying the purpose, giving clear
instructions and creating a safe social space for open heart conversations. Context setting
may involve the following elements that may be shared by facilitator as per the time
available:

2. Purpose: Share the purpose/ topic of the world café. Briefly introduce the process and
how it helps in deep dialogue

3. Share the café principles and etiquette (end of document) if needed. Some of these could
be written on a flip chart.

4. Process: Give clear instructions on the process: Put the question on the screen or flip
chart. Each table will engage in inquiry & dialogue on same for 20-40 minutes. Everyone
at the table should engage in conversation. Encourage people to doodle their thoughts on
the paper on the tables. At the ring of bell all except one person, who plays the role of
the table host, will move to different tables.

5. Role of table hosts: Each table will have one person playing the role of the table host.
Table host reminds people at their table to doodle/ note down key insights & question;
remains at the table when others leave and welcome travellers from other tables; briefly
shares key insights from the prior conversation so others can link and build using ideas
from their respective tables.

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6. After table conversation about the previous conversation, post the next question on
screen and round 2 will begin. All World Cafes have 2 rounds and it is possible to have 3.

7. Harvesting key insights: World Café leads to generation of rich knowledge on the topic/
questions being discussed. There are many ways in which facilitators can help in making
this knowledge visible for co-sensing and decision making:
 Use a Graphic Recorder: In some Café events the whole group conversation is
captured by a graphic recorder who draws the group’s ideas on flipcharts or a wall
mural using text and graphics to illustrate the patterns of the conversation.
 Take a Gallery Tour: At times, people will place the paper from their tables on the
wall so members can take a tour of the group’s ideas during a break.
 Post Your Insights: Participants can place large notepapers on which a single key
insight is written, on a blackboard, wall, etc. so that everyone can review the ideas
during a break.
 Create Idea Clusters: Group insights from the Post-Its into ‘affinity clusters’ so that
related ideas are visible and available for planning the group’s next steps.
 Make a Story: Some Cafés create a newspaper or storybook to bring the results of
their work to larger audiences after the event.

The World Café Principles:

 Generate a hospitable space
 Explore issues or questions that matter
 Encourage and value contributions from everyone
 Connect and weave together diverse people and ideas
 Listen to one another to discover ideas, patterns and deeper questions
 Make visible collective knowledge

Café etiquettes
 Focus on what matters. Contribute your thoughts.
 Speak your mind and heart.
 Listen to understand.
 Link and connect ideas.
 Listen together for insights and deeper questions.
 Play, Doodle, Draw – writing on the ‘tablecloth’ paper
 Have fun!

Sources:
 http://www.theworldcafe.com/tools.html
 http://www.theworldcafe.com/principles.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Caf%C3%A9
 http://www.theworldcafe.com/pdfs/cafetogo.pdf
 http://www.kbs-frb.be/uploadedFiles/KBS-
FRB/Files/EN/PUB_1540_Toolkit_13_WorldCafe.pdf

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Check In / Check Out

What is it?
A method of dialogue used at the beginning of a day or meeting (check in) or at the end
(check out)

What does it do?

 Focuses the energy
 Brings everyone in and present – people are often scattered in their thinking at the
beginning and ending of a day
 Illuminates underlying themes
 Begins the process of listening

How do I do it?

Steps
1. Select a question to be answered and write it clearly on the flip chart. Choose a question
that is very open-ended, rich with meaning and appropriate to what the content of the
day might be or has been. Examples:
 What stands out for you about today?
 What’s becoming clearer to you now?
 The most important thing I have learned today is….
 From today, I commit to…..
 Top of mind (or heart) for me today is…..

2. An option is to give two or so minutes for everyone to think and / or journal before
responding.

3. Everyone listens and no one responds.

4. Everyone gets one and only one chance to speak.

5. There are two different methods for the order in which people speak. One is to go
around the room in order. This usually elicits distinct and different thoughts. Another
method is called, “popcorn,” because people can “pop up” at any time they want to
speak. The latter method allows ideas to build from one to another and therefore the
conversation is often linked together. People often speak when they want to “piggyback”
on to the ideas of another.

6. After everyone has spoken you can have dialogue for 5-10 minutes to talk about patterns,
themes or learnings from what everyone said. Look for ideas that would not have
surfaced if you hadn’t taken the time to do this.

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Head, Heart, Hand
What is it?
This is a very quick and interactive workshop closing activity.

What does it do?

It helps wrap up people’s experiences on all three levels: head,
heart, and action (hand) in a fun and emotional way.

How do I do it?
Steps
1. Have everyone count off 1, 2, 1, 2. The numbers must be even so have a co-facilitator
move in the group if the numbers are uneven. Then instruct the “ones” to form a circle
in the middle of the room, facing outwards, shoulder to shoulder. This takes some doing
and clear instructions. Then ask the “twos” to form a circle around them facing inward
so that each person is directly facing another person.

2. Ask them to share something they have learned from this workshop (head). Timing is
probably about a minute each. It helps to have the facilitator standing up on a chair in
order to see the whole room. Watch pairs and move to the next part when it feels like
everyone has shared.

3. This part is the toughest. Ask each circle to take two giant steps to their right, passing
one person and staying with the second person. If each circle goes to their right the
inside circle is moving clockwise and the outer circle counter clockwise. Have facilitators
helping so that again, every person is facing a new person.

4. Now move to the heart. Share one emotion that you have left during the workshop for
about a minute each.

5. Instruct the group to move once again, two giant steps to their right, passing one person,
meeting the next.

6. Now move to the hands or action. Share one thing that you personally will do as a result
of this workshop.

7. Conclude by applause or pat on the back or some other celebratory action.

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Basic Facilitation Tools

Flip Charts
A Few Flip Chart Tips

 Put a title on all flip charts so that the reader knows

what that chart is about
 Add page numbers to multiple charts with the same
title

 Write BIG and clearly

 Print – no script
 Make letters over an inch high
 Use both upper and lower case letters to improve readability
 Write with the thick side of the marker – easier to read (use chisel tip and
not bullet tip markers)
 Use markers in darker, higher contrast colors (black, blue, purple, etc.). Colors like
yellow, orange, red, and pink are hard to read from a distance.
 Use many colors and rotate colors. Research shows people learn more when
charts are in color rather than black and white. By rotating colors each point
shows up more vividly.

 Highlight, circle , underline or shade for emphasis

 Separate text blocks or phrases with:
 Bullets   
 Squares □ 
 Triangles 
 Other symbols O 

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Storyboarding / Posting and Clustering

What is it?
This tool is sometimes called “visual thinking” or “affinity diagramming.” It brings the thinking
of the team into full view and is used to generate a number of ideas and then organize and
summarize them into natural groups in order to understand the essence of a problem or a
breakthrough solution. Storyboarding can be used by itself or as a tool within the tool of
Fishbone Analysis or identification of challenges.

What does it do?

 Encourages creativity by everyone on the team at all phases of the process
 Encourages non-traditional connections among ideas
 Allows breakthroughs to emerge naturally, even on long-standing issues
 Encourages ownership of results because the team generates the ideas, writes them
down, and clusters them. Passes the “fingerprint” test and relieves the facilitator of
writing down ideas.

How do I do it?

Steps
1. Clearly state the question, topic or problem and write this on a flip chart. “Based
on your knowledge what are the five biggest reasons that we have low employee
morale.”

2. Generate the ideas. This can be done individually, in pairs or in small groups. Often
the ideas are of higher quality if at least two people work on them. Give the individual,
pair or small group a pre-determined number of index cards, pieces of paper, post-its or
hexagons (for simplicity these will be called “cards”). Instruct them to think first and
generate a lot of ideas, then choose the best ones and write these on the cards.
Instructions for writing:
 Use dark colored markers – no pens or pencils
 One idea per card
 Write big with only 5 – 10 words – no long sentences, more like themes or topics
 If using cards, paper or post-its write in landscape position with the sticky side on the
back and top. If using hexagons, write with the point up.

3. Move to the storyboard wall. Put chairs in a semi-circle around a large, open wall.
Chairs should be very close to the wall. If using index cards can use masking tape to tape
the cards to the wall. Can also tape pieces of flip paper together as a background if using
sticky notes of any kind. Sticky notes do not stick to walls! Paper is good if you think the
product may need to be saved – can roll it up and take it back to the office. If using a
sticky wall, use pre-cut pieces of paper.

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4. Post and clarify the ideas. There are a variety of ways to do this so experiment with
what you prefer:
 One way is to have everyone come to the wall together and post his/her cards
randomly. Then ask the group to read them all and clarify any they do not
understand. A disadvantage of this method is that it is hard to see and understand all
the points and groups often get rowdy and begin to lose interest and move away.
 Some facilitators like to have the cards handed to them to post and cluster, but this
breaks the fingerprint principle.
 Another method is to have the team sit in the chairs. Have one person from each
pair/group go to the wall, post their cards, explain (very briefly) what the cards mean,
if necessary. In this way they are both posting and clarifying ideas as they go.

5. Cluster the cards into categories that have similar meaning – “affinity.” Members of the
team can do this after all cards posted. Another faster way is to begin the clustering as
they are posting and start putting cards next to one another. As a facilitator, work this
clustering process until everyone believes all cards are in the right clusters. You can
either leave in duplicates so that it is easy to see how many times an idea came up or take
away duplicates – your choice.

6. Categorize. What are all the cards in this cluster about? Write this on a header card
that it is different color from the idea cards.

7. Prioritize. It may be necessary to choose from among the categories. Dot voting is
usually best. Remember to only place dots on the header card, not the idea cards below.

How do I decide between index cards, paper, post-it notes or hexagons?

 Index cards are low-cost and easy if you can tape them to a wall.
 Large (4x4 or 4x6) post-it notes are good if posted on paper and the team may want
to save the chart.
 Hexagons are very colorful and groups tend to like the way they honeycomb
together. If color and beauty increase learning, hexagons are great. People often like
hexagons on the fishbone. The disadvantage is that they are more expensive and
difficult to obtain.
 A sticky wall is easy to re-use and very low tech, because all you need is different
colors of paper cut into different sizes.

Examples

Hexagons
Idea Idea
Category

Idea Idea

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Post-Its. Index Cards or Paper

Category Category Category

Idea Idea Idea

Idea Idea Idea

Idea Idea Idea

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Dot Voting

What is it?
Dot voting is a group prioritization technique using colored dots to define the
most important items or ideas on a list or to prioritize among the header cards
on a storyboard. Individual votes are cast using adhesive dots, which are then
counted either by total number of dots received or total assigned / weighted value.

What does it do?

Tools like Fishbone Analysis or challenge identification help teams generate
ideas, causes, solutions, etc. Teams must then decide which items are most important and
dot voting helps narrow the work from the many to the few. Although dot voting can be a
decision-making method, as in “majority rules,” it is best used to give a sense of the team and
the team’s thinking. Once the votes are tallied, it is always a good idea to stand back and ask
again if the vote winners are the ideas to take forward or if anyone sees a pattern.

How do I do it?

Steps
1. Select the criteria upon which we are voting. Write this on the flip chart. It is not just
what people like the best. Most workable ideas? Most significant causes? Best solutions?

2. Select a voting method:

 Single Dot – Each person get only 1 dot to spend on the item that they feel best
meets the criteria.
 Multi-Dot - Choose the number of dots to give to each person. Usually look at the
total number of ideas that are being voted upon and divide by 3. So if there are 12
header cards in a storyboard, you would hand out 4 dots and each dot is worth 1
point. N/3
 Weighted Dots – Usually give each person 3 dots of 3 different colors. A red dot
might mean 5 points, a green dot 3 points and a blue dot 1 point. You can fewer dots
if you choose, say 1 worth 3 points and 1 worth 1 point. This method usually makes
the spread greater because people have to choose which items they really favor.

3. Discuss whether or not it is ok to put multiple dots on any 1 item. There are no hard
and fast rules on this, but most facilitators believe that if you allow more than 2 dots (in
either multi-dot voting or weighted dot voting) to go on 1 card, a single individual can
sway the votes.

4. In a storyboard, clarify that only the header cards are voted upon – not items in the list.

5. Warn that “dots attract dots,” so have in your mind what you want to vote on before
you come to the wall or others may sway you.

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6. After the voting, ask team members to grab a marker and help count and do the math
(fingerprint principle). It helps to put a marker dot in the middle of each vote as you
count. Write the number beside the card.

7. Stand back and look and ask the team to consider what they see. Occasionally, an item
that did not receive as many votes may be determined through discussion by the group
to be worth further inclusion in the next steps.

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Circle of Control / Influence

What is it?
Often called the Circle of Control / Influence, this tool helps keep teams focused and
working on issues that are within the span of control of the team.

How do I use it?

Have this chart posted where it is easily seen. Often when teams are creating the criteria for
dot voting, call their attention to this chart. We want to choose issues for recommendations
that are within our control and we can do something about. There may be root causes that
they have identified, e.g., low salaries, that we are really concerned about, but can’t change,
so don’t work on them. Note that “our focus” goes slightly beyond the circle of control and
into what we can influence.

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Decision Making – Thumbs Up

What is it?
A very quick way of getting a sense of the team on a decision and
a way to truly reach a consensus decision where everyone will
commit.

What does it do?

Shows where a person is on any decision and allows for further
discussion to reach consensus and avoid arguing and deadlocks.

How do I do it?
Steps
1. Explore the issue thoroughly through discussion.

2. At a time when you want to begin reaching a decision, ask everyone to put his/her hand
up. “Raise your hand and indicate how close to consensus you are on this issue.” Make
everyone keep his/her hand up high.

Thumb up = I support this decision

Thumb in the middle = something still amiss, not there yet
Thumb down = don’t agree

3. Go around the room. You may ask a person who has his/her thumb up to explain why
they are there. If there are people with a thumb down or to the side, ask them to
explain their reasoning. This will get more out on the table.

4. The key to this exercise is then asking the following, “What would it take to get you
to have your thumb up?” This puts that person on the spot to quit arguing for
argument’s sake and really add to the solution. When this person has said what it would
take, discuss it with the group, perhaps add it to the solution, then start all over again to
get consensus. Usually a person who disagrees has just a small thing they want to change
or they want to make certain they are heard. Often what they add strengthens the
solution or idea.

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Facilitated Discussion

What is it and what does it do?

A lot of the time in problem-solving there is not a specific tool that is being used. Many of
the basic tools are used but a lot of the time is spent just having a “facilitated discussion” to
determine a variety of solutions.

How do I do it?
Put all of your facilitation skills to use during this time. Team members simply need to talk
about what they’ve learned, where they want to go with a solution, what they think would
work best. Here are some tips to keep this conversation moving.

 Establish how much time is available for the discussion and help the group have a
meaningful discussion. There is a limited time for generating solutions so paying
attention to time is critical.

 Make certain that the team has a clear topic to focus on or a clear question to
answer. Keep the discussion focused on the task.

 Often, teams are in agreement when they are analyzing the problem and the
“storming” phase begins during solution generation. This phase is much harder and
this is where teams will disagree. In this stage, too, the troublesome “characters”
begin to show up and need to be handled in the most appropriate way.

 Ask questions that will help team members do more rigorous thinking.

 Summarize the group’s discussion so they can reflect on their progress.

 Do frequent “process checks,” asking the team if they are making progress or stuck.
If stuck, what do they need to do to move on? Are their discussions helpful and
meaningful? If not, what do they need to do to move on.

 Remember the Golden Rule and the Fingerprint Test. They must be coming up with
solutions. Often the clock ticking toward the sharing with other teams helps stimulate
creativity.

 It often works best to divide a larger group into smaller sub-groups, either on different
tasks or the same task. Sometimes if given the same task, groups come up with very
different solutions and this helps creativity. By breaking into smaller groups everyone’s
brain is more in use and people don’t drop out as much.

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Theory U Tools
Dialogue Interviews
What is it?
Dialogue Interviews are intended to engage the interviewee in a reflective and generative
conversation. This tool can be used to prepare for projects or workshops, or to spark
innovative ideas and insights. The purpose of a Dialogue Interview is to see the world from
the perspective of another person, to step into their shoes and gain insights that you would
not ordinarily have, to enhance learning and shift your own perspective.

What does it do?

 Prepare participants for an upcoming event
 Build a generative field for an initiative
 Bring new systemic information and understanding to a situation
 Provide a sense of how the future might emerge, what possibilities might be
 Identify barriers, roadblocks & leverage points to improve the situation

How do I do it?
Steps
1. Logistics:
 Dialogue Interviews work best face-to-face. If in-person interviews are not possible,
they can be conducted by phone.
 Duration: Approximately 30-45 minutes for a phone interview, 30-90 minutes for a
face-face interview. Prepare for an additional 30 min. before the interview to prepare
and 30 min after review.
 Material: Use the interview guidelines (questionnaire), but feel free to deviate where
necessary. Use paper and pen to take notes in person, or perhaps typing quietly on a
tablet if by phone.

2. Preparation:
 Whom to interview: Identify the individuals who are relevant to your current
situation or challenge/opportunity – people whose ideas may stretch your thinking or
deviate from what you already know.
 What to focus on: Define/revise questions to adjust to the specific context. Schedule
appointments. Decide whether to send the questions to the interviewee in advance.
 Preparing just before the interview: Before you meet the interviewee allow for some
quiet preparation or silence. For example, take 20-30 minutes prior to an interview to
relax and anticipate the conversation with an open mind and heart.

3. During the interview:

 During the interview, listen with your mind and heart wide open, take notes, follow
the principles below.

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 Ask questions spontaneously: Feel free to deviate from your questionnaire if
important questions occur to you. The questionnaire is designed to serve you and
your work—not the other way around,

Sample questions:
 What journey brought you into this work—and what were key turning points?
 What are the most important challenges facing your industry / world /
organization / you? How are you facing these challenges?
 What do you see as the key driving forces for your industry / world? (Driving
force – a variable that when shifted, changes our world)
How might these driving forces evolve in the next decade?
 What might be triggering events for your industry? How might these events drive
our industry?
 How could your organization help you in dealing with these challenges?
 What’s the best possible future you could see for your organization?

4. Right after the interview:

 Reflection: Take time to reflect on key insights, capture your key thoughts in
writing.
 Closing the feedback loop: Send a thank-you note to your interviewee (within 12
hours).

Principles
 Create transparency and trust about the purpose and the process of the
interview; establish a personal connection early on.
 Suspend your voice of judgment (VOJ) to see the situation through the eyes of
your interviewee. What matters now is that you to learn to see the situation through
the eyes of your interviewee.
 Access your ignorance (access your open mind): As the conversation unfolds, pay
attention to and trust the questions that occur to you; don’t be afraid to ask simple
questions or questions you think may reveal a lack of some basic knowledge.
 Access your appreciative listening (access your open heart): Connect to your
interviewee with your mind and heart wide open; thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the
story that you hear unfolding; put yourself in your interviewee’s shoes.
 Access your listening from the future field (access your open will): Try to focus
on the best future possibility for your interviewee that you feel is wanting to emerge.
 Leverage the power of presence and silence: One of the most effective
interventions as an interviewer is to be fully present with the interviewee and the
current situation—and not to interrupt a brief moment of silence. Moments of silence
can serve as important trigger points for deepening the reflective level of a
conversation. Be courageous. Stay with the opening of the NOW.

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Learning Journeys
What is it?
Learning Journeys are a way of experiencing the system through the lens of different people
and places. Learning Journeys as a Co-sensing process have evolved at Presencing Institute
with the core idea that “when you meet people in their own context you learn a lot by
simply observing what is going on.” It involves travelling to places and meeting people who
are of most potential and often at the edges of the system. The insights generated from the
journey are synthesized through reflective dialogue that deepens the systemic understanding
of the challenges and inspires participants to co-create innovative possibilities.

What does it do?

Learning Journeys engage stakeholders of a system in immersion, listening, inquiry, and
dialogue activities that create:
• A network of relationships among key stakeholders in that system
• A shared understanding of the systemic forces at play and their inter-relationships
• Input on driving forces that could influence scenarios and strategies
• Enhanced awareness of the different perspectives of key stakeholders

How do I do it?
Steps
1. Logistics:
a. Learning team formation: Usually, the group splits up into sub-teams. The sub-team
composition matters because a mix of perspectives enhances the impact of the
Learning Journeys.
b. Define people and places of high potential for the Learning Journeys that can provide
insights into:
• The different perspectives of the system’s key stakeholders
• The different aspects of that system
• The ’voiceless’: people in the system, those who usually are not heard or seen. A
good way to get a sense of the system is to look at its “extreme users,” such as a
person living in a remote area needing access to a health system or a person who
would have a very different perspective
c. Time: It is recommended to allocate at least 1 day to Learning journeys in a
workshop context and several days in a larger project setting (sometimes spread over
a period of months).

2. Preparation/ Pre-work:
a. Establish with your group members:
 Who are the key players that you need to talk with?
 What are the questions are you most interested in exploring?
 What is your most eye-opening learning experience to date?
 What is the context you are going into?

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b. Start by developing a short questionnaire (7-10 questions) that guides your
inquiry process. Keep updating your questionnaire as your inquiry process unfolds.
c. Communicate the intention of the exercise with the hosts. Try to avoid
“show and tell” situations and request that they have conversations with the group
rather than a staged presentation.

3. While at the site: (When small groups travel to the host’s location)
a. Trust your intuition and ask authentic questions.
(Follow the spirit of humble inquiry)
Pay attention to and trust your intuition in asking questions raised by the
conversation. Asking simple and authentic questions is an important leverage point in
shifting or refocusing the attention on some of the deeper and systemic forces at play.
Sample questions to ask:
 What personal experience or journey brought you here?
 What issues or challenges are you confronted with?
 Why do these challenges exist?
 What challenges exist in the larger system?
 What are the blockages or systemic bottlenecks?
 What are your most important sources of success?
 Who else do we need to talk to?
Sample questions for scenarios / strategies
 What do you see as the key driving forces for our industry / world? (Driving
force – a variable that when shifted, changes our world)
 How might these driving forces evolve in the next decade?
 What might be triggering events for our industry?

b. Use deep listening as a tool to hold the space of conversation.

(Connect with their stories).
One of the most powerful interventions by a listener is deeply attentive silence.
When your interviewee has finished responding to one of your questions, don’t jump
in automatically with the next question. Attend to what is emerging.
c. Proactively capture the knowledge emerging from the field:
i. Always use your journal/booklet to capture insights
ii. Use your smartphone to capture pictures and video
iii. Always try to gather artifacts that might be useful
iv. Have one designated note taker in your team at each session
v. Capture the insights from your debrief (see next step)

4. After the visit: reflect and debrief

To capture and leverage the findings of your inquiry process, conduct a disciplined
debriefing process right after each visit or every evening if it’s a multi-day visit.
(reflecting then & there)
Sample Questions for debriefing
 What was most surprising or unexpected?
 What struck me most? What stood out?

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 What touched me? What connected with me personally?
 If the social field (the living system) of the visited organization were a living
being and could talk, what would it say (to us)?
 If that being could develop—what would it want to morph into next?
 What is the generative source that allows this social field to develop and
thrive?
 What limiting factors prevent this field/system from developing further?
 Moving in and out of this field, what did you notice about yourself?
 What ideas does this experience spark for possible scenarios that you may
want to develop? For possible strategies?

5. Close the feedback loop with your hosts:

Send an email (or other follow-up note) expressing a key insight you took away from
the meeting (one or two sentences), and your appreciation

6. Debrief as a whole group

After a one-day learning journey this debriefing would take place in next meeting with
the whole group. In the case of a multi-day learning journey you should plan to meet
between the individual days if logistics allow.
Structure of the whole group debrief meeting
(From insights to collective learning & wisdom)
 Get everyone on the same page by sharing concrete information about the
Journeys: Where did you go, who did you talk to, what did you do?
 Talk about your findings and generate new ideas.

Learning Journey Principles

Deep listening:
A deep-dive Learning journey requires engaging in three types of listening:
• Listening to others: to what the people you meet are offering to you
• Listening to yourself: to what you feel emerging from within
• Listening to the emerging whole: to what emerges from the collective and
community setting that you have connected with

Go to the places of most potential. Meet your interviewees in their context: in their
workplace or where they live, not in a hotel or conference room. When you meet people in
their own context you learn a lot by simply observing what is going on. Take whatever you
observe as a starting point to improvise questions that allow you to learn more about the
real-life context of your interviewee.

Observe, observe, observe: Suspend your voices of judgment (VOJ) and cynicism
(VOC) and connect with your sense of appreciation. Without the capacity to
suspend judgment and cynicism, all efforts to conduct an effective inquiry process will be in
vain. Suspending your VOJ means shutting down the habit of judging and opening up a new
space of exploration, inquiry, wonder.

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Voices from the Field
What is it?
This is a sensing activity that brings “voices” from outside into the room, often when it is
difficult to do a Learning Journey.

What does it do?

Helps people experientially hear and experience various stakeholders in their system, gaining
deeper understanding about challenges and opportunities.

How do I do it?
Steps
1. Before the module work with co-facilitators and organization liaisons to identify the
voices that must be heard in their system. Usually it would be people in various roles
within the system (examples from Ethiopia: EIAR [research], coops, regions, ATA,
national MOA) and external to the system (farmers, children, women, NGOs). On
vertical half sheets of flip chart paper draw footprints (including heels for women and
small feet for children) and label each set of footprints. Make quite a few extra sets of
footprints for participants to fill out.

2. With co-facilitators determine the questions that you will be asking the “voices” to
respond to, examples: What are the challenges facing xxx? Why do these challenges
exist? Why are the opportunities? What are your highest hopes for xxxxx? To record
these voices have several pieces of flip chart paper taped together and hung along walls.
Each chart has the question written on them before the exercise begins. Have one
facilitator sketch the “voices” in as much detail and color as possible.

3. Arrange the group in chairs in a circle around the footprints that are on the floor. Have
a marker by the blank footprints. Demonstrate by standing on a set of footprints and
speaking from that person’s perspective. Two points are critical. First, speak from the
first person, saying, “I feel, I think,” not “the women feel.” Second as the questions
unfold ask people to stand on a set of footprints that is not where they work / live. This
helps to get people to experience another person’s point of view.

4. Go through the set of questions allowing enough time on each one to fully explore the
question. Usually the first couple of questions take longer and the later ones go faster.
Encourage every person in the room to stand on at least one set of footprints.

5. Gallery Walk. When completed, choose a partner and walk along the wall, looking
together at what is drawn and sharing insights and observations. When everyone has
walked past all four charts, bring the group together for about five minutes, dialoguing
about, “What stands out for you about this exercise?”

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Fishbowl Dialogue
What is it?
A fishbowl dialogue is a Co-Sensing activity whose purpose is to introduce new information
and divergent viewpoints from key players in a specific field or area of interest. It is often
used when Learning Journeys cannot be done. Fishbowl guests, sometimes called
provocative people, are selected to represent a range of new perspectives and deep first-
hand knowledge of the subject matter.

What does it do?

Fishbowls provide a dialogic format that encourages new learning and insights about a topic.

How do I do it?
Steps
Preparation:
1. Choose the topic. Working with the organization liaison, choose the topic and
questions that will be explored. Examples:
a. From my perspective here is the role of xxx.
b. How great is the alignment between xx and xx? Why? How has this come to
life?
c. What do you see as the major challenges facing xxxx?
d. What elements of strategy do you think xxx should focus on?
e. What is working well between xx and xx?
f. What is not working well?
g. What are key misperceptions or assumptions that are present and how have
they come to life?
2. Choose the “fish” who can represent divergent points of view. Sometimes people are
brought in from outside the organization and often the “fish” are people in various
roles in the organization. Primarily, think through what viewpoints these people will
have and ensure that there is as much divergence of thinking as possible.
3. Prepare a handout to give to the “fish” with the process and the questions listed so
they can fully prepare.
4. Brief the “fish.” This is often the most critical part of a fishbowl. The facilitator who
will be the host should meet one to one (can be by phone) to go over the whole
fishbowl process and specifically the questions. Engage them in the kinds of things
they will say and coach them so that they will represent divergent thinking. It is also
very helpful for the “fish” to meet together before the fishbowl and share the kinds of
things they are going to say in order to avoid redundancy. The “fish” will not make a
formal presentation nor will they show any slides! Make sure they know this.
5. Set up the room. The “fish” sit in a circle in the center of a bigger circle of
participants. The fish face each other and so need microphones so that participants
can clearly hear them. Around the perimeter of the circle of participants set up flip
charts or have paper taped to walls. The “fishbowl” effect is created when the “fish”
speak among themselves and the others watch.

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6. Make flip charts. Fishbowls are usually done in an open area of the meeting room far
from the projector, so flip charts need to be made, listing the names and titles of the
guests, the questions they will speak to, the five phases of a fishbowl along with timing
for each, and the flip charts for Phase III (see below).

Process
1. Host – One facilitator acts as the host and sits in the circle with the “fish.” The host
needs to be familiar with the backgrounds and perspectives of each of the guests and
will ask questions to draw out different expertise and enhance the flow of the
conversation. While this may appear easy, it is difficult. This role takes deep listening
to track the content and skillful interventions to ensure that the right conversations
are being had at all the different phases of the dialogue. The host serves exclusively
as a facilitator and does not add content. Imagine one of the most skillful TV
interviewers you know and strive for this. Ask the right questions!
2. Introduce each “fish,” name, background and pertinent information. Go over the
phases of the fishbowl and the questions.
3. Facilitate the five phases of a Fishbowl Dialogue
a. Phase I - Each guest has 6-8 minutes to answer the questions you have posed
according to their perspective. Often questions liked (a – d) above are used in
the opening phases. The host acts as timekeeper, giving them a sign when they
have one minute left. Each person speaks once and only once, everyone else,
guests and participants listen deeply.
b. Phase II - Dialogue among “fish”. A different set of questions is used here,
often similar to (e – g) above. This dialogue lasts from 15-20 minutes and the
microphone moves around the small circle in a random fashion. The host can
ask deepening questions here and try to get “fish” to speak to very different
perspectives. Participants listen for themes.
c. Phase III – Participants now make small circles of about 5-7 people each and
they should have access to a flip chart. It helps to have the flipcharts pre-
labeled: “What did we hear?” “What do we still need to know?” For a total
of 20 minutes they dialogue and record their answers on the flip charts to help
clarify their thinking.
d. Phase IV – Dialogue between the “fish” and the participants for 35 – 40
minutes. Before beginning emphasize that this is not a panel discussion where
the participants ask questions and the guests answer. It is a dialogue and
people in the outside circle can voice opinions and thoughts as well as ask
questions. It also is not a time for a group from the outside circle to read off
what they wrote on their flip charts. That phase has been done to stimulate
their thinking. This phase is usually very hard to facilitate because many
groups are used to a “report out” process where they have written down
something and then they want to read it to the others. The host must actively
discourage this and encourage more open dialogue. Ask questions to redirect.
Point out where the conversation is headed and what is happening if need be
in order to redirect. Be bold!
e. Phase V – Fish Wrap - Each guest has 1-3 minutes to wrap up, answering
the question “What stands out for me about these conversations?

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Personal Reflection / Dialogue Walk / Journaling
What is it?
This is a time for personal reflection and learning. While in a workshop participants are not
only working on the content goals of the workshop, but they are also learning about
themselves, having new insights. Personal reflection helps to cement this learning into new
personal capacities.

What does it do?

Personal learning, dialogue walks and journaling are tools to help the cementing process of
learning. You cannot learn when you are always in action, so time to sit down and reflect is
an important part of learning and change.

How do I do it?
Steps

1. Logistics:
a. Start with people sitting on their tables.
b. Ask them to have ready their notebooks and a pen.

2. Introduce the three steps

a. Sitting quietly listening to their breathing
b. Having a dialogue walk
c. Doing some personal journaling afterwards on what became clear to them

3. Start sitting quietly breathing

a. Ask people to sit at their chair. Back upright. Eyes closed if they want to.
b. Bring them to listening to their breathing. Just listening. Maybe noticing that they
have thoughts on their mind. That is no problem. Notice a thought and then bring
their attention back to the breathing process.
c. After three minutes ring a bell and the exercise stops.

4. Introducing the Dialogue Walk

a. Story telling exercise in a dialogue walk. Listening with open mind, open heart,
unconditional loving attention. We often become aware of our Self with a capital
S through others. Where you discover Self is with people who see more in you
than is currently being revealed. Quote “I could hear him listening to me.”
Reveal something about yourself and see it, hear some things.
b. Assignment
i. Think of an event or time when your sense of who you really are shifted,
opened, clarified. It could be a disruptive occurrence or a forced letting go.
Who you really are shifted and clarified. There is something else possible and
wanting to be expressed. Listener - Listen with unconditional loving
attention. This may spark another story when you hear others.
ii. One person shares this story, others listen, no interruptions.
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iii.Hear each other’s stories, then debrief. What touched you? What happened
to your sense of self? Of the other? (Become aware of the deeper level of my
path, of connectedness).
c. Total time for this walk is about 20 minutes.

5. Personal journaling
a. Return to big open room and your chair. Stay quietly, no talking until everybody is
back from their walk.
b. When sitting on your chair, take your notebook and write down the insights that
became clear to you during the dialogue walk. These could be words, images,
drawings, etc.

6. Sharing
a. If you have time you could take 5 minutes to have a few learnings voiced by
participants. Questions: what did they like about the exercise? What is an insight
that became clear? Not more than 10 persons voicing.

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Sculpting Current Reality and the Future

What is it?
Sculpting is a part of the Co-sensing process that is used to portray how a system functions
in the current reality and to learn how obstacles in the current structure hinder the flow and
achievement of results. Sculpting also helps to create a first picture of the possible future for
the system and what needs to change to make it more effective and flourishing. Sculpting is
also often used as part of designing the future that wants to emerge from the current reality
and seeing where new possibilities show up. Sculpting is a group process where all
participants are involved. An important element of sculpting is that we are using our hands.
This provides a more deeply grounded way of seeing what is going on in the system and
understanding what is possible.

What does it do?

Sculpting is a way of engaging the group in learning and understanding how the current reality
of the system works, where obstacles are, what part of the system is dying and which new
branches (as in a tree) are emerging. By working with our hands like a sculptor we are feeling
the current reality to better understand and envision the future possibilities of the system.
• A visualization of the current reality of the system: how is it built up?
• A shared understanding of the systemic forces at play and their inter-relationships
• An enhanced awareness of the common pathways to the future.

How do I do it?
Steps

1. Logistics:
a. Start with the materials for the sculpting process. You need an ample amount
of:
i. Clay
ii. All sorts of little toys, legos
iii. Small building materials
iv. Post its, etc.
b. Divide the materials evenly over the tables where the sub-teams will work and
keep an extra amount on a separate materials table.
c. Split the group into sub-teams of at least 5 and maximum 8 people. These
groups will work together on the sculpting process. Try to mix the different
backgrounds of people in the sub-teams as broad as possible (organizations,
gender, age, etc.) as to get the various possible perspectives.
d. Time: It is recommended to allocate at least 1h 15 minutes for the sculpting
the current reality and 45 minutes for sculpting the future.

2. Introduction to the sculpting process

a. Introduce the sculpting process
 What is the intention of the sculpting process

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 What is the core way of working: building with the hands and not by
articulating an image of the current and future reality of the system
 Introduce working with the hands explicitly (using knowledge and you
intuition).
 Introduce the use of different sorts of materials.
 Introduce the time frame for the sculpting and the different steps in
each part, also announce the four directions process.

3. Sculpting the current reality

a. By table participants sculpt the current system of XXXXX (relationship
between MoA and BoA for example) using legos and clay primarily. Time: 30
minutes
b. Four directions process: table groups dialogue on the sculpture using 4
direction questions. We look from four different directions to the sculpting
that has been made by the subgroup. To make that feel-able the group stands
at the table, possibly in each successive direction. Each member of the
subgroup gives his or her short (one minute!) answer to these questions. One
member asks the questions. Time: 5x4= 20 minutes. As a facilitator, announce
the shift to the next question and change the slide.
Questions from the four directions:
i. Direction 1: Appreciation and feeling
Questions:
1. What are the sources of energy in this model?
2. What are the sources of frustrations (where does the
energy get lost)?
ii. Direction 2: Truth and Practicality
Questions:
3. What are the key challenges that we as a community of
leaders will have to face?
4. What are the hard truths?
iii. Direction 3: Perspective and Insight
Questions:
5. What are the policy and practice barriers that lock us into
the current state of operating?
iv. Direction 4: Vision and Presence
Questions:
6. In this model, what is the old that is ending?
7. What is the new, wanting to be born, emerging?
c. Marketplace sharing: each table chooses a storyteller who stays at the table
to tell the story of their sculpture to all visitors. Rest of the participants float
around from table to table listening to stories. – total 15 minutes (5 minutes
per sub-team; ring bell every 5 minutes to indicate the movement across
tables; if you have more than five groups add a little more time per group).

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4. Sculpting the future
a. Same sculpting process with the same sub-teams but different subject: now
sculpt the future of the system as you would like to see it, highest hopes,
possibilities – 20 minutes. You can turn the paper over to start afresh or just
change the pieces on the table.
b. Marketplace sharing: each table chooses a storyteller who stays at the table
to tell the story of their sculpture to all visitors. Rest of the participants float
around from table to table listening to stories. – total 20 mins (we ring bell
every 5 mins to indicate the movement across tables)

5. Celebrate: pat on back

6. Debrief as a whole group

After the whole exercise you can debrief some common themes and learning from
the exercise. This is voluntary.

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Problem Solving Process Tools

Fishbone Analysis – Problem Analysis

What is it?
Fishbone Analysis is a tool used to explore root causes of a problem.

What does it do?

This tool helps teams dig for the root causes (those things that are causing the problems as
opposed to things that are symptoms of the problem). Fishbone Analysis was originally
designed to identify a cause and then go deeper into what causes that cause to happen –
getting to the root of the problem. Each cause must contribute to the problem and each
cause is itself caused by something else. This can sometimes be useful when analyzing a
difficult technical problem. However, this kind of analysis often takes a long time and
sometimes leads nowhere. So for simplicity’s sake we usually use this tool to look for
different causes that are listed on the larger “bones” and use these clusters to fuel discussion
of ideas.

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How do I do it?

Steps
1. First, define the problem and get a good problem statement. Write this on a folded
piece of flip chart paper (so that the Fishbone chart can be re-used) and attach it in the
area “problem.”

2. Divide the team into pairs or trios and give each around 5 post-it cards or hexagons.
Instruct them to have a good conversation about what causes that problem to happen.
(“Why does this happen?”) Don’t go to either solutions or symptoms. Once they have
their list, have them write these 5 causes on the cards, one cause per card, using good
card protocol. It is recommended that the Storyboard process be used for Fishbone
Analysis.

3. Post the cards, probably talking about each cause as it is posted and trying to cluster as
they go by putting cards that are alike on each of the “bones” of the skeleton. Keep
working until all the cards are up and the team agrees that these are the main causes.

4. Add a “category” or “header” card on each line that is a different color, possibly at
either the highest or lowest part of the bone. Check again to make certain that you
have different causes for the problem. If you need more than 5, it is fine to add another
bones.

5. Option: If you look at any of the causes that are currently on the bones of the fish, you
may see that you could go deeper on some of them. You can then draw a line off that
cause and add other cards, “What is the cause of this cause?” Example:

Power Bulb
isn’t on doesn’t
work

Country Bulb
has limited broken
electricity
Lamp
doesn’t
turn on

Dog chewed
the cord

Cord not
working

6. Only a few of these causes can be taken forward to recommendations, so it will

probably be necessary to do some kind of prioritizing or dot voting to choose. First, be
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sure to generate the criteria by which they will vote. This could be, “The two causes
that, when addressed will create the greatest difference,” or “The two causes that are
most under the control of our organization.” (See Circle of Control).

7. Once the voting is complete, check to make certain that these are the root causes for
which the team will create recommendations. The problem analysis phase is now over
and the team can move to creating recommendations / solutions to these root causes.

8. The Fishbone Analysis can be done on a sticky wall with tape marking the bones and using
paper as the cards, or it could be done on a wall with tape marking the bones and using
index cards.

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Generate Solutions

The majority of time during any problem solving session is spent in creating the
recommendations. This is quite an art!

Guidelines:

Timelines
 Usually the topics have been determined during problem analysis like the Fishbone. All
the teams must agree upon these topics and there must be no overlaps between teams.
However, all solutions will come together to contribute to solving the problem.
 Usually the team will present the main ideas of their solution to the other groups and get
feedback. Then they will come back as a team, revise the recommendations, complete the
action plans, and try to make the recommendations as entertaining, colorful and thorough
as possible. It helps to choose a very good presenter to give the presentation and
rehearse as much as possible. The more practice the better!

Helpful Hints
 Preamble and Assumptions – Many teams find it necessary to add some kind of
rationale or background perspectives at the beginning of their recommendation to help
people understand the issue. Often these preambles or assumptions are not ready by the
time of the first presentation to the whole group and during this time the team sees the
need for some background.
 From experience, it is usually best not to have more than two distinct recommendations
per team; otherwise the overall process gets too long and there are too many
recommendations. A distinct recommendation means that there is one topic that the
recommendation is covering and this one recommendation will probably have several
different parts. It is often even best to have just one recommendation per team. Each
distinct recommendation will have its own action plan, even though there are several
aspects to the recommendation.

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Synergos Institute / Presencing Institute September 2014
Plan for Action

What is it?
Action Planning

Accountable Due
Actions Needed
Person Date

What does it do?

Once the teams have presented their recommendations to the whole group and gotten the
go-ahead from the other teams, an action plan needs to be created. This is a critical step
because these actions are monitored closely during the 30-, 60-, 90-day reviews.

How do I do it?
 The Lead Facilitator will provide posters of these charts that can be written on. Be sure to
post the dates for the 30-, 60-, 90- day review and tell the teams to line up their actions to
these dates, thinking through exactly what has to happen by these dates in order to reach
the recommendation.

 A creative way of doing this is to create a chart like the one below, writing in the
recommendations on the left, with the dates of the reviews on the top. Give post-it notes
and have them fill in around 3-4 actions for each review. Teams often get too detailed
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Synergos Institute / Presencing Institute September 2014
here with too many action steps, so limiting them to 3 – 4 for each review helps keep
them at a high level. Make certain that they put in an exact date on the chart, not “in two
weeks.” Make certain that they put in a person’s name, not “the Leadership Team.” Try
for a single person to ensure single point accountability. Who is the one person who will
make certain that this action is completed?

Recommendation 30-day Review 60-Day Review 90-Day Review

Action 1 Action 1 Action 1

Recommendation #1 Action 2
Action 2 Action 2

Action 3 Action 3
Action 3

Recommendation #2
Action 1 Action 1 Action 1

Action 2 Action 2 Action 2

Action 3 Action 3 Action 3

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Synergos Institute / Presencing Institute September 2014
Theory U Module Teaching Texts

Listening / Conversing – Open Heart, Mind, Will

TIME TOPIC SLIDES
30 min. Theory U – Building Blocks of Theory U One “build”
listening, Listening / Conversing slide for this
conversing; Open heart, mind, will whole section
open heart,
mind, will The root cause of so many of our issues lies in how we think. And the quality of listening and
conversing undergirds everything and is the basis of the inner work that leaders do. If you shift your
listening, you shift your conversations, and then you shift everything.

Four Levels of Listening

Downloading: I already know what you are going to say so I am checking out. Listening from my own
boundaries. I am myself. Stuck in my own prison. Gesture: Hands over my eyes – not seeing what
is going on outside of myself. Levels of
Factual - Now I am watching as if through a window. Listening from the place where the other person listening
is. Gesture: Hands in front of eyes. Focus on reality but very direct. Open Mind. Even by focusing
on the factual, if you listen to the perspective on the other person’s mind and see/hear their reality,
you are opening your mind.
Now adding heart to the brain. Gesture: Moving to open heart, mind. Arms wide open, attention
open, and empathetic. Open heart. Keep the open mind from factual and now add in to it the
emotion of the heart. People can sense the shift with adding heart to brain.
Creative - Went outside and adapted myself, then retreated. It was dynamic. Something came into
reality that wasn’t there. Open will. The shift here is to move to creating something with the other
person or persons. The will to do something. Goes beyond thinking and feeling and into creation
and action. Gesture: Moving around with the actions of listening and movement.

Four Levels of Conversing

Downloading - Conforming. Speaking from fitting in. Saying something that doesn’t mirror what I am Levels of
thinking. Gesture: Speaking from a split screen. Saying something but thinking entirely different. My Conversing

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real thinking is different.
Debate - Confronting. Speak from differentiating. I am my point of view. Gesture: Fists closed.
Boxer’s stance. Rigid.
Dialogue - Connecting. Speaking from inquiring of others. In dialogue I have a point of view, but I am
not my point of view. I can move to some other place. When I return from a dialogue I am not the
same person. Getting out of the jacket. Gesture: Open hands embraced myself; connect with those
around me, opening up in my conversation. Only happens if the center of gravity moves from head to
heart.
Collective creativity – Creating. Speaking from what is moving through.
Co-Creating - Looks from the whole and finds what wants to come into reality. In whatever form.
Listening and adapting to something that isn’t where you have been. Gesture: Look around a lot and
move to create. Use the same movements as in listening, but add to it some movements that show
action, creation, maybe modeling building something using others.

Turn to your neighbor, pairs. In your work situation what level of listening are you often at? What
level of conversation are you at? What do you think is the hardest part of this model to achieve?
Why?

Usually follow this module first with advocacy/inquiry so they get some practice in conversations on
the right side. Then do voices of judgment, cynicism, fear because that shows what stands in the way.
The three modules are very connected.

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Advocacy / Inquiry
TIME TOPIC SLIDES
1 hour Advocacy Open by showing slide on listening and conversing that highlight advocating and inquiring. Highlighted
Inquiry advocacy /
Balancing – Define advocacy and inquiry. Most of our conversations are very heavily weighted on the inquiry
side of advocacy. Balancing A&I

Ineffective Advocacy
Give example of ineffective advocacy with example from the work you are doing or that all people will
understand and laugh at. MoA / BoA exampled on timely distribution of fertilizer:

BoA – My fertilizer did not arrive on time. It is your responsibility to get it to me when I need it. You
people at the Federal level have not done your job!
MoA – No no. I did not receive the demands on time from you. How do you expect me to procure
things for you on time if you don’t give me the forms on time. There is a format for it you know.
BoA – You did not properly communicate with me the time frame that was needed. You didn’t let me
know the format and the time frame.
MoA - No, it is known. It has been known for years. Why do you ask me now? It is your
responsibility to follow the regulations!

Choose a partner and choose a topic that you feel passionately about. Take about 4 minutes and have a
good old-fashioned debate on that topic, people advocating their own positions. Practicing
Dialogue
Have people keep standing with their partner. Group conversation: What was that like? (Have fun
with this drawing out how no one listened, people got more entrenched in their positions, voices got Ineffective
louder). This is ineffective advocacy because no one changes or opens their mind, so you get nowhere. advocacy

Here’s a different approach: Effective Advocacy Effective

Be sure you give examples and explain the logic of how you got there. After you have advocated your advocacy, 2
position invite others to test your thinking e.g. say: “I’m wondering what you might think about what I slides
just said.” “I have talked a lot about the communication gaps that I am experiencing. What are you
thinking about this?”
Ask what people saw in the different methods.

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Ineffective Inquiry
There can be ineffective inquiry – show slide. In this you ask questions that you really don’t want an Ineffective
answer to or you really want to hear only confirming views, not challenging ones. “Don’t you think that inquiry
there is a huge communication gap between MoA and BoA?”

Effective Inquiry
Now the speaker is seeking to truly deepen the conversation and get alternative views out, encouraging
challenge and really probing to find out what the other person thinks. This is designed to explore the Effective inquiry,
thinking of others, rather than debate your own point of view or try to win someone over. 2 slides

Now the listener is going to play a more active role. Keep up the list of questions and indicate that
these are not ‘yes/no’ questions, nor are they leading questions (leading the other to agree with you).
They are also by no means exhaustive, just examples of what an open question might look like. Then ask
your fellow-facilitator or a volunteer to help you demonstrate by asking you questions after you have
advocated without revealing your reasoning.

BoA – My fertilizer did not arrive on time. It is your responsibility to get it to me when I need it. You
people at the Federal level have not done your job.

MoA – It sounds like you didn’t receive your fertilizer. Go a bit deeper into your reasoning. What do
you think might be the cause of the fertilizer not getting to you?

BoA – Well, I told you I think it is your problem. But also let me think. I remember there is a form and
a format with a time frame. But that time frame may not work because there are so many changes here
at the region that get in the way of me sending the form to you on line.

MoA – Ah, I see and hear you. It sounds like you are experiencing a lot of changes. How could I work
with you more to help you adapt to those changes? What more could I do to help you?

Back to your same partner. Go back to the original advocacy statement that you were working with. Practicing
Have one of you now be the speaker and one the listener / responder. You will do this for a couple of Dialogue
minutes and then switch positions. Go back to list
of questions
The speaker will give their opening argument. Then ask the listener to choose from the questions listed

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to open up the conversation more (instead of just advocating back). Speaker - answer the questions as
clearly and briefly as you can.

5 minutes, about 2 minutes each.

3 minutes – what was the difference? (Again have fun with this. Talk about filming the difference in the
tenor of the room between the first and second time – quieter. Body language, not fists now, but
people leaning in to listen and hear. Did anyone hear a new perspective that they had never thought of
before? Explain it.

Invite a pair (among participants) to demonstrate ineffective advocacy and effective inquiry. First have
them demonstrate the argument for about a minute. Then have them shift to inquiry. Assign which
person is the speaker and which is the listener who will answer with questions. Sometimes this listener
uses ineffective questions. If that happens point it out and ask them to try again. Leave the list of good
questions up.

Ask participants about their reflections on the differences they saw between the two.

Wrap up: Show balancing scales. Not to go to the extremes of all advocacy or all inquiry, just do each Balancing scales
effectively and use more inquiry. In a meeting they could keep track of the number of advocacy
statements and the number of inquiry statements to see how usually the scales are tipped in favor of
advocacy. This is all done to have more effective conversations that help to open up conversations and
lead to innovation.

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Voices of Fear, Judgment, Cynicism
TIME TOPIC SLIDES
1 hour Voices of Building Blocks of Theory U What blocks
J, C, F Voices of Fear Judgment, Cynicism innovation –
VOJ, VOC,
Exercise around voices. Using all the skills in both listening and speaking and trying to move to deeper VOF, one “build’
levels of listening and speaking, do exercise around the Voices. Emphasize that this is personal work, slide
not organizational. These voices occur within a person to block innovation.

Voice of Judgment – This comes in to block Open Mind. Rather than letting in new information,
judgment creeps in and any new information is simply parked in old patterns of thinking or discarded.
“This won’t work here. I know it won’t work. I’ve seen it happen before and it all turns out poorly. I
know from experience.” How to counteract this? Recognize when your Voice of Judgment comes in
and actively suspend it. Recognize and hang that belief or assumption out there and try to see that it
may not be true. Other things may be there. Almost “see” holding it in suspension out in the air.

Voice of Cynicism – This has to do with belief, with the heart, with emotion. You cynically cannot see
that new possibilities could exist. “I don’t believe that this can happen. The past doesn’t show that
there can be any new possibilities. Whenever anything new is tried around here it fails. Nothing new
ever works. We are too stuck.” How to counteract this? This voice of cynicism again needs to be
recognized and then re-directed. Actively notice the cynicism and then re-direct it to a place of opening
your heart up to these new possibilities. See yourself going from disbelief to belief that something could
change.

Voice of Fear – This perhaps is the strongest voice that gets in the way of making creative change. As
humans we seem to want to hang on to what is there with a fear of what may happen if we let go. You
may not voice this out loud, but internally the voice of fear sounds like, “I am nervous about seeing the
old thing go. It is what I know and what I am accustomed to. I’m afraid of the changes that this may
bring; afraid of not knowing what it will all look like. Even if the past or present isn’t working at least I
know what it is.” How to counteract this? A real letting go must happen before there can be a “letting
come” for creativity. Again actively notice and name the fear and then visually “see” letting it go to
make space for the new.

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Exercise – Five steps. Do by table. Have paper on tables to write and doodle with either small or
larger tipped markers. Choose an example here to use that exemplifies the biggest challenge the group
has where the voices of fear, cynicism, or judgment may show up. This is an example from MoA / BoA.

Each person write alone: “How great is the level of communication, commitment and transparency Step 1 - write
between MoA and BoA? Why?” alone
Each person talk about what they wrote. Rules of check in. No response, just listening. 1-2 minutes Step 2 – each
each. You can call out the time to switch or ring a loud bell that they can hear over conversation. person talks
Identify the voices of judgment, fear, cynicism, collectively. This is how I experience these voices in this
conversation – not externalizing. Use “I” statements. ) Can give examples of what each voice would
sound like. “I don’t believe it will work. VoJ” “I don’t think that is a good idea. VoC” “I’m worried
about the effect that would have, so I don’t want to try it. VoF “I don’t know what will happen if this
changes so I am nervous.” (This could be around the table, but this is the hardest step of this process
and is very difficult for people to do, so maybe open conversation so what one person says can spark
another). Ask for one volunteer to stand up, tell what they wrote about and state their own personal
VOJ, VOC, or VOF. Keep coaching them to use “I” statements, which is very hard for people to do.
After this conversation, three people up giving example: this is how I experienced the voice of J, C, and
F. Step 4 – Small
What are cultural barriers that keep us from suspending these voices? Spend 5 minutes talking about it group dialogue
by table. Then ask for some (or every) to give an example of cultural barriers. Work for a dialogue
among all tables on this so they really internalize it.
Have each table prepare: One example of one voice. State the voice and give 15 seconds of the
example. Step 5 – table
Why it blocks innovation examples
How to suspend this voice
Report out. Go around table by table for the above. Tell every table to prepare, but may only have
time for 1-2 so get tables to volunteer.

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Alignment / Commitment
TIME TOPIC SLIDES
1 hour Alignment Define alignment. Definition of
Exercise alignment
The arrows represent different people and how they are aligned, using the definition, to the vision of Arrows
the organization. Show unaligned arrows. What do you see? Wasted energy. Show aligned arrows Alignment
with the big arrow representing the whole organization and its focus on the vision. You can have
different personalities and at the same time focus the energy on the vision. Alignment is different from
“selling” or trying to persuade someone to buy something. It also goes beyond “agreement” to a
deeper level. What would be the difference in the organization between the first and second arrows?
How would it feel? What would be the level of accomplishment? Which organization would have more
conflict? An unaligned organization often has a lot of conflict around things like resources and power.
When there is alignment and these conflicts go away, a tremendous amount of energy is released to do
the work of the organization.

Commitment: Alignment is also bolstered by deep commitment. Go over slide. Use example of Commitment
stoplights / signs. “build”
Hostility: resisting, don’t understand, believe, see the benefit. This person would not stop at a stop sign.
Grudging compliance: I’ll do it while you watch, limited understanding, belief. They will stop only when
a policeman there. At this level very little work gets done.
Formal compliance: Understands, sees some benefit, but doesn’t really believe. Goes along with it, goes
through the motions. “ It’s the law and I will obey it.”
Genuine compliance: Understands, sees the benefit, will do. Often mistaken for commitment. Good
Soldier. But the direction is still outside the individual. Agreement to do something someone else
wants. “I understand and believe in the law, so I’ll stop.” Work gets done here.
Commitment: Above the line, commitment really coming from within the person. “Would do it even
if there weren’t a law.” Believe deeply, see the benefit, understand.

By table have each group decide where overall they are on commitment. This is for their teams back at
work. The question is: When they think of xxxxx, how great is the commitment? (Could be the vision
or something that the group is working on)

Give two dots: make a chart and go to chart putting red dot where they are and green dot where they

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need to be. Why do they need to make this movement? Why does it matter? Use sports analogy.
You can’t win a gold medal if you stay in compliance.

Take away: you can only get a lot of real work done in a high performance organization if you are in the
upper two levels. Commitment
Commitment is not something you can mandate. Leaders have to create conditions that people choose can’t be forced
for committing themselves.

Alignment Exercise – Groups of 4. Tell a story in your life when you were working with a group / team
/ organization that had very high levels of alignment and commitment. 3 minutes each. Alignment story

Then, look back at your stories and answer the following:

What were the conditions that enabled that high level of alignment and commitment?

Really emphasize that this list is what they need to do as leaders to create the alignment between BoA
and MoA.

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