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Six Thinking HatsSix Thinking Hats is a useful tool for taking different perspectives on a situation. It was developed by Edward deBono, and despite its apparent simplicity it … Read more |
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Cause and Effect Fishbone (Ishikawa)The Ishikawa diagram, more commonly known as the fishbone diagram (because of its shape) or the cause and effect diagram (because of its purpose) is … Read more |
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Kipling ListThe Kipling List is taken from a very short poem by Rudyard Kipling: “I had six serving men, they taught me all I knew, there … Read more |
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Matrix Diagram & QFDMatrix Diagrams are an excellent device for encouraging methodical exploration of all of the potential ways that one set of things can influence another, for … Read more |
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Seven Management and Planning toolsOne of the real strengths of the Japanese is a tendency to standardise and simplify wherever possible. Faced with an ever increasing number of management … Read more |
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Multi-Channel TemplatesSee: The concept of a multi-channel approach Multi-Channel Involvement is about using alternative forms of input to the meeting. The standard input to a meeting tends … Read more |
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Impact/Ease GridThe Impact/Ease grid is a four-box model (a 2×2 positioning chart) for plotting solutions (or ideas or strategies) to reflect the impact of taking them … Read more |
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BrainstormingBrainstorming is probably the best known, the most-used, and the most misused tool in creative work within organisations. Essentially it is a free-form technique for … Read more |
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Effects DatabaseThe Effects Database is a useful tool for applying the principles of TRIZ quickly and easily to problems and idea generation. It has been created … Read more |
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Rules of BrainstormingEnsure people understand the following simple set of rules for brainstorming before they start: |
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Force-Field AnalysisThe Force-Field Diagram is premised on the assumption that people and events behave (or fail to behave) as they do because of the balance of … Read more |
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Planning ChartThe Planning Chart is simply a grid, with either months, or numbers along the top, to represent periods of time into the future, and rows … Read more |
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Clothesline for target setting by consensusSee also: Clothesline for virtual meetings The clothesline is a specific adaptation of Consensus Reaching and helps a group arrive at a target and develop a shared … Read more |
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Red Green Cards for Consensus ReachingRed Green Cards are a specific adaptation of Consensus Reaching and help a group arrive at a conclusion and develop a shared commitment to it through … Read more |
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Shortcutting the consensus processConsensus Reaching is a really useful mechanism both for building shared commitment, and for ensuring a complete understanding of all of the available facts and … Read more |
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Consensus ReachingConsensus is where every individual member of a group fully accepts the group’s conclusion for the collective benefit of the group, and is fully committed … Read more |
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Castles in the air – Setting stretch targetsAs Henry David Thoreau observed ‘If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. … Read more |
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Clothesline for virtual meetingsSee also Clothesline for target setting by consensus The Clothesline is a tool used to develop group consensus on target setting. |
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The empowerment processEmpowerment is a process. Unfortunately, in the busy-ness of modern business it is easy to forget this fact, and to throw people into new roles … Read more |
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Mixed meetings and mediumsFor centuries, meetings have been our key mechanism for collaboration, but the nature of collaboration is changing as never before, and with it, the concept … Read more |
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Interviewing GuidelinesInterviews are an extremely useful strategy for effective facilitation. They can help you to better determine the objectives for your meeting, and to to develop … Read more |
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‘Parking Lot’ PrinciplesA ‘Parking Lot’ is an extremely useful device for ensuring your meetings keep on track with the full support and attention of the attendees. Essentially, … Read more |
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The peril of shortcuts in languageProgress in meetings requires four things to be commonly understood and pursued by the participants: A clear objective; a shared process; clarity of roles; and … Read more |
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iFrames to support meeting toolsiFrames are meeting templates; large workspaces which encourage simultaneous participation from everyone. They provide the means for everyone to engage: to contribute and ‘listen’ at … Read more |