When you're gathering a group of people to think through a problem, here are some best practices: # Cultivate Diverging Thinking, then Converge [[First Idea ≠ Best Idea]]. If your party is too quick to jump on an solution to a given problem, you may rabbit hole through the details and miss simpler or more effective inputs. # Anonymized Inputs [[Psychological Safety]] is necessary for potentially dissenting views to be presented, and you can't expect it to happen immediately. You can work around this by having people write their ideas on notecards for the leader to read out loud. # Really Define the Problem [[A Problem Well-Stated is Half-Solved]]. Talk with the group early about the nature of the issues at hand. Don't immediately jump into "solutioning" the problem until you're confident you've got a shared [[Mental Models|Mental Model]] and understanding of the goals of the group. # Use [[Scheduled Breaks]] If you're going to be stuck in together for a long time, let people know when they can expect to get a break. Encourage breaks together, if possible. ## Set Up [[Human Synchrony]] One shortcut to [[Psychological Safety]] and group bonding (which is both "nice" to have for the participants and _good_ to have for better results) is to figure out a way to achieve **synchrony**. This could simply come from _walking_ during the breaks. You could do the whole "stretch break" thing. # Use Shared Artifacts > [!success] Do: > - Use large, tangible artifacts to draw graphics, place sticky notes. > - Use the space. Allow your spatial reasoning and [[Gestures Help Teachers and Learners|gestures]] to carry some of the cognitive load. > [!failure] Don't: > - Print off multiple copies of the system diagram > - Let everyone work on their own computer **** # More ## Source - [[Noise - A Flaw in Human Judgment]] - [[The Extended Mind]] - Experience ## Related