Facilitate an argument in a meeting: decision criteria, separating generating ideas from critiquing them, a decision owner.
A shouting match instead of planning
The facilitator's tools
Planning has turned into a shouting match between two camps. What the facilitator does:
1. Brings it back to criteria. “Before we argue about options: what matters more to us — speed to launch or the cost of maintenance? And who owns this decision?” An argument about options without agreed criteria is endless: everyone measures with their own ruler.
2. Separates generating ideas from critiquing them in time. First, all the options go on the board without judgments, then critique — against the criteria. When every option gets shot down the moment it's born, people stop offering any.
3. Holds the rule “the proposal, not the person” — and stops any slide into the personal immediately, the same way for everyone: “Stop. We're discussing the option, not Misha.”
4. If consensus doesn't emerge — the decision owner decides; everyone else records their disagreement and carries out the decision. Disagreement goes into the notes; sabotage doesn't.
A meeting without a decision owner is a conflict generator: the argument goes on for its own sake, there's no decision, and everyone leaves angry.
A healthy meeting decision
- 1Criteria
Agree on what we measure by, and who owns the decision
- 2Options
Collect them all without criticism
- 3Evaluation
Critique the options against the criteria, not the authors
- 4Decision
The owner decides; disagreement goes into the notes, everyone carries it out
Lesson notes
The facilitator's tools
Planning has turned into a shouting match between two camps. What the facilitator does:
1. Brings it back to criteria. “Before we argue about options: what matters more to us — speed to launch or the cost of maintenance? And who owns this decision?” An argument about options without agreed criteria is endless: everyone measures with their own ruler.
2. Separates generating ideas from critiquing them in time. First, all the options go on the board without judgments, then critique — against the criteria. When every option gets shot down the moment it's born, people stop offering any.
3. Holds the rule “the proposal, not the person” — and stops any slide into the personal immediately, the same way for everyone: “Stop. We're discussing the option, not Misha.”
4. If consensus doesn't emerge — the decision owner decides; everyone else records their disagreement and carries out the decision. Disagreement goes into the notes; sabotage doesn't.
A meeting without a decision owner is a conflict generator: the argument goes on for its own sake, there's no decision, and everyone leaves angry.