Join this unique and highly-praised workshop–designed and led by an instructor with more than 30 years of experience in leading teams across multiple industries–to improve your skill in leveraging the potential of your team to improve must-succeed meeting outcomes. Topics include how to mitigate social influences and biases, effectively frame problems, navigate the messy decision, deal with difficult behaviors, create alignment when faced with multiple objectives, and ask the better questions to improve team engagement and foster deeper thinking.
Workshop Details
WORKSHOP FORMAT
This two-day workshop includes classroom instruction, paired exercises to apply new skills, and hands-on practice sessions for each participant. The practice sessions are based on real-life case studies or specific situations faced by participants. During these practice sessions, other class members are given roles, allowing the designated group leader to practice skills while handling typical group dynamics. Participants are given personalized feedback at the end of their practice sessions. Class size is limited to 12 to ensure personalized feedback.
WORKSHOP MODULES
Day One
Module 1: Explore the influences of social dynamics on team performance and decision quality. Learn questions and tools that mitigate predominant cognitive and motivational biases. Practice tools that increase engagement in both virtual, hybrid, and face-to-face meetings; foster balanced discussions; and focus the thinking.
Module 2: Learn how to structure and lead purposeful and productive meetings. Gain skills in focusing meeting dialogue on the question(s) that need to be answered. Learn and apply the Discussion Framework, a 5-phase meeting GPS that assists with meeting design and prohibits teams from leaping to solutions prior to succinctly framing the problem, to personal workshop or meeting. Case study practice session: redirecting a board that has prematurely leaped to solutions prior to framing the problem to be solved.
Module 3: Introduce the science and practice of asking the better question. Discuss the neuroscience behind why certain questions work the way they do. Learn six powerful question structures that identify underlying drivers, promote innovation, challenge assumptions, and create richer discussions regarding alternatives. Practice skills learned in stakeholder, non-op, client, or employee interviewing sessions (participant choice).
Day Two
Module 4: What’s Your Problem? Understand how problem framing is essential to good decision quality, and the neuroscience behind why it is the most overlooked step in any process. Learn tools that assist with diverging on different problem perspectives. Practice techniques for problem framing when dealing with people with diverse views. Apply skills in case study where the group has identified a list of random solutions, but has yet to specifically define the problem.
Module 5: Improve your innovation efforts with the power of question-storming. Learn why brainstorming fails to deliver when seeking to innovate. Review the neuroscience research on the challenges to thinking creatively. Discuss and practice use of the question-storming technique in transformation initiatives.
Module 6: Explore the common pitfalls when making choices or assessing risks. Learn the better questions that elicit and foster alignment on key decision criteria. Practice questions and tools that facilitate discussions involving multiple objectives. Apply skills in leading a case study involving board members deciding the best strategic trajectory for their company.
Supportive workshop materials designed to be referenced long after the class is completed.
Leadership Workshop Workbook
Topics covered the biases and social psychology of groups, principles of robust meeting design, question dos and don’ts, the difference between compliance and commitment, why brainstorming does not work (and what to do instead), the power of using a small wins approach during implementation, and over 100 examples of questions to ask during each phase of the Discussion Process.
The Ultimate Tool Kit
Contains over 25 creative thinking, decision-making, engagement, and problem-solving tools. Provides tool purpose, constructions steps, and tips for use. Select tools include an audio file for a more in-depth discussion of tool usage.