'What the hell do we do now'?

The sh*t hit the fan, a pandemic struck and the world shifted! 

As things changed, we had to change. At each turn there was a new set of choices, options ... and often there were opportunities too. 

We kept asking, ‘what the hell do we do now?’ 

And the changes and challenges keep coming! 

Over the past few months, I’ve collaborated with 17 other authors to write the aptly titled 'What The Hell Do We Do Now', an enterprise guide to COVID-19.

I contributed the chapter ‘Adapt’ and share some of the examples of different intensities of adaptation. 

Adapt - it’s what we need to do when we’re faced with changing conditions. 

 
Get it where you usually get hold of books and ebooks.

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The back cover reads: 

2020 has been a year of significant disruption to organisations all around the world. By the end of February, bushfires, protests, riots, drone strikes, impeachment and Stock Market crashes had shocked the world. Britain left the European Union and some Royals left Britain. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken business, economy and society to its core and profoundly changed our priorities and operations. In these times where business, society and economy are being reshaped, we have also seen people and organisations step up and forge a path into the New Normal.

In What The Hell Do We Do Now, 18 authors explore the tools and frameworks that can help you and your organisation navigate and emerge from crisis in better shape than when you entered it. Drawing on their own research across a wide range of domains, the chapters follow the narrative arc of Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s Heroine’s Journey, the classic story-telling formula of heroes who are thrust into chaos and return transformed through the challenges they face.

More conversations - less presentations

As more of our meetings are online, there’s also an increase in the number of times we’re disappearing down a deep hole of ‘share screen’ and PowerPoint. 

Our meetings shouldn’t be all about the presentation, the monologue - just one or two voices. 

We can have better collaboration and co-creation online and remotely by having more conversation... the dialogue, many and all voices. 

This means we have discussion, debate and exploration of a topic and people’s perspectives of that topic. 

As we witness and experience disconnection and disengagement of people online, we’d do well to try for more conversation than presentation. 

But the pressure !!!
- what questions should we ask
- how do you get the conversation started
- how do you open things up
- and then what
- how do we summarize, synthesise or bring that information together
- what will keep it going
- and how do we wrap it up?


Each of these is a nuanced skill of facilitation - always balancing and rebalancing, conversation and making progress towards outcomes - ebbing and flowing. 

Instead of defaulting to sharing your screen, giving a presentation, try something new and default to conversation. 

How do you plan to include people

It sucks to be forgotten, ignored, excluded or left out. So in a team or group meeting, how are you planning to include people? 

In meetings and workshops we may have presentations scheduled, information to share and decisions to be made. 

But how will you involve and include people in the session? 

Inclusion happens better when it’s by design. 

We know that people get excluded, overlooked and forgotten if we leave it to chance, or our bias and ego. 

Take that meeting agenda you’ve got and work out when and how you’ll deliberately include and involve people. 

Where can you :
- Ask people their thoughts and opinions
- Encourage them to share stories
- Invite comments, answers and suggestions
- Welcome questions, queries and insights 
...and more. 

Too many meetings have the ‘any other questions?’ footnote at the end as a way of involving people. 

But by then, it’s kind of too late. 

Start sooner. Right off the bat!

Create opportunities for involvement, participation, contribution and inclusion. 

It makes for stronger engagement ... as well as better outcomes. 

Frame the reason

Received an invitation for a meeting recently and there’s nothing but a vague title of the meeting? 

The convener or caller of the meeting may know what the meeting is all about... but those expected to attend may not. 

Fast forward to the actual meeting, and it’s worth explaining some more : why we’re meeting, what we’re going to do and how we’ll do it. 

When you’ve got a room (or zoom) full of people, they need to know what this is about and why they should care. 


FRAME the reason you’re all there, what’s behind, what’s ahead and what you’re expecting or hoping for. 

That frame is a structure, a context and a framework. It supports a system. 

And that meeting is a system. 

Frames are powerful Sensemaking tools, engaging people and switching on their curiosity. 

And they’re too often left out of the work we’re trying to do together. 

Remember, you might understand why ... but they may not. 

Thankfully it’s easy fixed - with a decent frame. 

What is a breakout room really for

So many online meetings!
So many breakout rooms!

And there’s too much “break into a room and have a chat” going on. 

While yes, connection, conversation and support are wonderful, there comes a point where more structure is needed. 


When used lazily, breakout rooms waste time, disengage people and fail to bring out valuable contribution. 

The breakout room is not to:
❌Kill or take up time
❌Give the facilitator or speaker a break
❌Get participants just doing something... anything.

People have wonder and genius to share. Let’s help them share it!


What’s better to do in a breakout room? 
- Wrestle with a question (better than ‘what do you think of ...?’)
- Share stories on a theme or topic 
- Solve a problem 
- Apply a process
- Generate ideas
- Reflect or review 
- Teach each other 
- Draft or craft
- Uncover insights 
- Prepare or rehearse
- Connect dots
- Plan a response ...


There is more and better we can do in online meetings. 

And a worthy effort is how we discover and uncover contribution.