The structured sharing activity Optimal Design presented above is based on a framegame that permits easy replacement of the current content with other content of your choice. Here’s the structure of the generic activity (called Optimal) that can be used as a convenient template for designing your own adaptations.
Step 1. Identify the topic
Facilitator: Announce a paradoxical concept or a provocative guideline.
Participants: Individually reflect on the positive and negative aspects of the selected topic.
Step 2. Form two subgroups.
Facilitator: Ask the participants to count by twos.
Participants: Remember your number (1 or 2). Remain seated.
Step 3. Reflect on the topic.
Facilitator: Give instructions to think about a specific aspect of the selected topic.
Participants: If your number is 1, think of the advantages (or positive aspects). If your number is 2, think of the disadvantages (or negative aspects).
Step 4. Pair and share.
Facilitator: Give instructions. Stop the activity after five or six interactions.
Participants: Stand up, walk around, and find a partner. Exchange your thoughts with an open mind.
Step 5. Form teams.
Facilitator: Ask the participants to form teams.
Participants: Form a team of four to six members.
Step 6. Share the information.
Facilitator: Give instructions to the teams.
Participants: Exchange ideas about the opposite aspects of the selected topic.
Step 7. Record an advantage and a disadvantage.
Facilitator: Distribute index cards to the teams.
Participants: Write down one advantage and one disadvantage (or one positive aspect and one negative aspect) about the selected topic on the card.
Step 8. Exchange the cards.
Facilitator: Give instructions to the teams.
Participants: Give the card (with the two statements) to the next team. Receive a card from the previous team.
Step 9. Invent an optimal approach.
Facilitator: Give instructions and examples.
Participants: Come up with an optimal idea for increasing the positive aspect and decreasing the negative aspect.
Step 10. Present the approach.
Facilitator: Invite a team to present its optimal approach. Ask the other teams to take turns.
Participants: Present your optimal approach. Ask other teams to decide whether they could use this approach in their context.
Reuse this Template
You can use the steps of Optimal to design your own structured sharing activity to explore the positive and negative aspects of any topic or guideline. Here are some sample topics that we used recently, each with the initival statements:
Teamwork:
- Teamwork is a waste of time. It is an inefficient approach to getting things done.
- Teamwork hasmajor advantages.
Performance Orientation:
- High performance orientation cultures that reward individuals for achieving results are more economically prosperous.
- High performance orientation cultures that reward individuals for achieving results are less cohesive and loyal.
Feedback
- People who receive frequent positive feedback tend to become more productive.
- People who receive frequent positive feedback tend to become complacent and less productive.
Trust
- Admitting your mistakes increases your trustworthiness.
- Admitting your mistakes decreases your trustworthiness.
Critical Thinking
- Critical thinking prevents you from being exploited.
- Critical and logical thinking prevents you from being creative.
Your turn now. Take a training topic that is relevant to your participants. Design a structured sharing activity by using the Optimal template. Send your design to me (thiagi@thiagi.com) and I will publish it in the blog under your name. That will make you famous.