Techniques to Reflect
I wish, I wonder
Inspire people to offer feedback and capture emerging ideas.
A discussion format that invites people to offer actionable feedback, this technique stands out for its focus on solutions. Use the “I wish” statements to gather the most critical feedback: encourage people to characterize their negative feedback in terms of how they would do something differently or otherwise improve a situation. Similarly, use the “I wonder” statements to identify gaps or focus on ideas that need further investigation.
Related Techniques: World Cafe
Related Experiences: Planning, Ideation, Knowledge-Sharing, Feedback
Ignite Talks
Highlight big ideas with short, inspiring talks.
Some people call this format Pecha Kucha; others refer to these as Ignite Talks. We once called it a Gong Show. No matter what you call them, these punchy, very-brief talks are intended to energize and entertain. Make sure to curate your speakers carefully: prepare your speakers for the format’s constraints and consider hosting a rehearsal session to help them practice. Also, consider the audience’s experience: make sure the talks hang together by addressing a common theme, answering a common question, or simply sharing a common vision for the future.
Related Experiences: Planning, Fundraising, Kick-Off, Recruitment, Ideation, Knowledge-Sharing, Social, Showcase, Summit, Feedback
Plus-Delta
List critical lessons learned, consider how to do better next time.
A reflection tool that works well as a solo writing exercise or as a group discussion, especially at the end of a project, event, or initiative. Feel free to focus on the big picture or to call out minor details: The point is to list the most salient take-home messages and lessons learned from an experience so you can draw upon them for your next project.
Related Techniques: World Cafe
Related Experiences: Planning, Knowledge-Sharing, Feedback
POEMS
Reflect on the key components of an experience.
A riff on a classic observational techinique, we like the way POEMS (People, Objects, Environments, Messages, and Services) invites participants to consider a place and its conditions from multiple perspectives. This technique works equally well at the beginning or the end of a multi-day or day-long event. As a kickoff activity or icebreaker, adapt the prompts into discussion questions that help pairs or small groups describe a place a situation. As a culminating activity, use POEMS as a solo reflection tool, inviting participants to write and reflect on their own before joining others in conversation about a shared experience.
Related Experiences: Planning, Ideation, Knowledge-Sharing, Feedback
Pre-Mortem
Provocative look into how new ideas might fail.
Sometimes it’s fun to imagine how things could go wrong. Invite people to envision pitfalls, obstacles, and mistakes that could doom new ideas before they get off the ground. Then, host a conversation that flips this dynamic on its head: what active steps could people take now to avoid such unhappy endings? Take the opportunity to have a practical conversation about the factors that might undermine a new project’s success, then think proactively about how to overcome them. Understandably, this activity can get a little morbid, so be thoughtful about your audience and approach this one with good humor and sensitivity.
Related Techniques: World Cafe
Related Experiences: Planning, Ideation, Knowledge-Sharing, Feedback
Rose Thorn Bud
Classic approach to identifying strengths, challenges, opportunities.
A classic tool for identifying positives (roses), negatives (thorns), and new possibilities (buds). Rose Thorn Bud – or RTB – is one of our very favorite tools. Invite participants to use colored sticky notes (roses are red, thorns are blue, buds you can guess) to write down ideas as they react to a big-picture idea or a prompt written on a poster. Or, use this framework as a starting point for a reflective conversation: What was one positive from today’s presentation? What would you improve? What new ideas came to mind for you as a result?
Related Techniques: Rose Thorn Bud World Cafe
Related Experiences: Planning, Ideation, Knowledge-Sharing, Feedback
Tuning Protocol
Structured feedback discussions in small groups.
One of the most formal tools we use, the tuning protocol is a timed, structured way to invite two people or two small teams to share information and give feedback. This is an especially effective tool to promote active listening: this technique encourages more loquacious participants to focus their comments and it makes space for more reserved participants to express themselves.
Related Experiences: Planning, Ideation, Knowledge-Sharing, Feedback
What? So What? Now What?
Reflection tool that captures what happened and why it mattered.
A speedy way to sum up what happened, why it mattered, and what should happen next. Use this as a written reflection exercise or as a way to structure a group discussion. You can also expand these big-picture ideas into smaller, more granular questions that get more specific. In general, think about these top-level questions as ways to help people describe what they saw, evaluate its importance, and think expansively about what it might mean for future action.
Related Techniques: POEMS What? So What? Now What?
Related Experiences: Planning, Ideation, Knowledge-Sharing, Feedback