There is power in 'collective sense'

There is power in 'collective sense'. This week I'm posting on sensemaking, the skill in understanding the deeper meaning of something.

How do you do it? Write some stuff down and write it in a layout that looks more like a map rather than a list. When you do this in a meeting and other people can see that map, you start to do ‘collective sensemaking’. Making sense of things together.

Collective sense is in contrast to lone voices and egos who dominate meetings, propose solutions prematurely, or shut people down. It’s in contrast to the loud speakers, the interrupters and the repeaters. Collective sensemaking makes better leaders, and it's a skill today's leaders need to sharpen up on.

I’ll leave you with these four templates from my book ‘Making Sense: A Handbook for the Future of Work’:

1. a simple line or continuum

2. a set of stairs (have you ever presented information about 'stepping up or improving'; this is an ideal shape and template)

3. a path or road with signs (journey, anyone?)

4. network diagram (from earlier this week). Give a like if you've learned something this week about sensemaking.

🤔 What are you trying to make sense of at work? 

Lists are great for shopping. Not great for sensemaking.

Lists are great for shopping. Not great for sensemaking.

When you’re in a meeting, discussing, generating ideas and solutions, planning details of how things might work, you might write down some key points:

* In a list.

* Like this.

* And this.

* Another point like this.

* And more like this.

While it feels efficient capturing what’s happening - sequentially - it’s not so helpful for making sense, now or later. A vertical list of dot points is challenging to retain, build links in, find common themes or show relationships and connections.

Ditch the list; make a map. You zoom out on Google Maps to see where you are: roads, suburbs and towns become visible. The ‘dots’ of towns are connected, not in a list but in a network.

A network map is one of the foundation tools I use to help people build sensemaking skills. It shows relationships, connections, more detailed information. Lines can be different thicknesses; circles different sizes. This communicates something more than any list can. The quality of the map? It doesn't matter. It's that you made a map - that matters.