Thinking Tools for Sensemaking

Sensemaking is our ability to understand the deeper meaning of what’s going on.

In a crazy cray-cray world, with pressure to process vast amounts of information in lengthy meetings, we need to make sense as quickly as possible. But how? Do we sit around a meeting table, talking and listening as best we can?

Sadly, this is the default and gives us too much talk and not enough sense. You know, non-sense.

So do this instead: CLARIFY THE CONTEXT

Why are we doing this work? Set a big picture reason why and give people context. 'Context' is the setting, circumstances, the environment or situation. How many meetings start without time to focus on why the heck we are all there? Great mediators and conflict negotiators know if they can get high-level agreement at context, they’re part of the way to success. So ask and know: 'Why are we here? What are we trying to do?’ Big picture. Google Maps, Google Earth view, big big picture. Detail drillers? Not required right now.

Are you a big picture person or do you love details?

Could you yield … rather than resist

Of all the skills we can learn and develop, what if we just focused on how we could become more adaptable… more willing to change?

Imagine how this one capability - a willingness to change - could impact our world and our lives.

Imagine how it might help a team learn new things and deliver better services.

The progress we would make, the ideas we would put out into the world, the conversations we’d have, what we’d find out and what could be possible.

The problems we’d solve instead of the additional ones we tend to create.

Imagine how less frustration there might be in the world if we were all a little more flexible, adaptable, changeable.

And imagine how we’d grow, individually and collectively, if we became more tolerable of change, looked for it, sought it out, welcomed it and 'went' with it. Adaptability is the capability.

What if we chose to yield… instead of resist? Look for opportunities to change and adapt; it gets easier.

Developing adaptability - your willingness to change

The next 4 ideas I’m posting on adaptability are:

5️⃣ Facilitation

Our world of work needs greater ease and progress, less red tape. Facilitation is about making things easier and to facilitate we'll need to give up being a control freak and be able to flex.

6️⃣ Visualisation

We're drowning in information! We need quicker and clearer ways to convey ideas and thinking. It's time to get over our ‘I can’t draw’ complex, and start making sketching, imagery and visualising an everyday kind of thing.

7️⃣ Experimentation

Do you test, try, fail and learn? That's adaptability right there! Good things are often brought about through advancing and pioneering schools of thought. Today’s workplaces need to be more laboratory than court room.

8️⃣ Improvisation

Responding to uncertainty is a daily requirement. Operating from principles rather than prescriptions can help because no two situations are the same, no two people are the same. Improv doesn’t just belong on the stage, in comedy festivals or on TV. 

Continue to cause damage - or decide you’ll make a difference

I’ve been posting this week on how being a leader who has contemporary facilitation skills is a huge advantage in today's workplace.

The time we waste in dull/boring/ineffective meetings should be enough of an incentive to make change!

Massive productivity gains are made when leaders know how to lead engaging, inspiring and productive meetings that get work done AND protect people’s self esteem so they stay engaged.

You can change culture by changing how you run meetings, workshops, consultations and conversations.

But damage is done to people in meetings when they're treated poorly, ignored, interrupted, excluded, forgotten, shut down.

It’s not on them to ‘speak up’; it’s on you to extend your leadership capability to include people, elicit information and contributions, helping to make work easier.

Facilitation is a life skill to be developed, not a simple skill to read a few articles about.

Do you commit to putting facilitation on your professional development agenda?

The difference you'll make will be immeasurable; the damage to people otherwise could be extreme. 

The clichés of average facilitation

Despite all the advice on how to lead better meetings, we still see many behaviours and clichés that stop, block and slow group progress.

By using a cliché or common saying we might be trying to make things happen quicker.

But some clichés cause problems. They can kill collaboration, smash diversity and slow up progress. Usually the reverse of what we’re aiming to do!

Here are 10 workshop & meeting clichés I see and hear way too often:

1. Would you take the notes please (insert woman's name)

2. I hear what you’re saying but...

3. Let’s car park it

4. Let’s take it offline

5. What do others think?

6. We need to move on

7. Are we all in agreement then?

I know I promised 10 clichés but there are only 8 because...

8. We've run out of time! Leader as Facilitator: whether it's a leadership position, title, role or responsibility, or a mindset and way of working, leaders have incredible opportunities to build engagement, gather diverse views and get important work done via facilitation.

Avoid clichés. Keep conversations going, building engagement - be anti-cliché.