Methods
Meeting methods, step by step
Ways to run part of a meeting so it ends with something: a decision, a list of ideas, a plan. Each one with the steps and the time to give them.
Discussion and ideas
Lean CoffeeA meeting with no agenda until it starts: everybody writes topics, the group votes, and you talk about the most popular ones in short, timed rounds.50 min · 5 stepsFishbowl discussionA few people talk in an inner circle while everyone else listens from around them; listeners can step in by taking an empty chair, so a large group can hold one real conversation.55 min · 5 steps1-2-4-AllEveryone thinks alone, then in pairs, then in fours, then the whole group shares — so every person contributes and the best ideas rise in about twelve minutes.12 min · 4 stepsSilent meetingEveryone reads a shared document and writes their questions and comments in it during the meeting, in silence — then talks only about what still needs talking about.50 min · 5 stepsNominal group techniquePeople generate ideas alone and in writing, share them one at a time round the group, discuss them briefly, then rank them privately — so the best ideas win, not the loudest voices.50 min · 5 stepsRound robinGo round the group in order and give everyone the same short turn to speak — so every voice is heard once before anyone speaks twice.25 min · 4 steps
Decisions
Six Thinking HatsThe group looks at one question from six angles in turn — facts, feelings, risks, benefits, new ideas and process — so everyone thinks the same way at the same time instead of arguing.52 min · 7 stepsDot votingEverybody gets a few votes — dots — to put on the options they like best, so a group can see its priorities in minutes instead of debating every item.25 min · 4 stepsRACIA grid that says, for each task or decision, who does the work (Responsible), who answers for it (Accountable), who is asked first (Consulted) and who is told after (Informed).50 min · 5 stepsDACIA way to make a group decision clear before discussing it: one Driver runs the process, one Approver makes the call, Contributors give input, and the Informed are told the result.45 min · 5 stepsRAPID decision rolesAssign five roles for an important decision — who Recommends, who must Agree, who will Perform it, who gives Input, and the one person who Decides — so it gets made and carried out.50 min · 5 stepsSix-page memo meetingInstead of slides, someone writes a narrative memo of up to six pages; the meeting starts with everyone reading it in silence, then discusses it.60 min · 4 stepsConsent decision-makingA decision goes ahead unless someone has a reasoned objection — not “is this the best idea?” but “is it good enough for now and safe enough to try?”40 min · 5 stepsMoSCoW prioritisationSort every requirement into Must have, Should have, Could have and Won’t have this time — so a team agrees what a release cannot do without, and what can wait.55 min · 5 stepsWorking backwardsBefore building something, write the press release announcing it to customers and the questions they would ask — then decide whether it is worth building.60 min · 5 stepsMaking a motion (Robert’s Rules)The formal way a group makes a decision: a member moves a motion, someone seconds it, the chair states it, the group debates, and the chair puts it to a vote.17 min · 5 steps
Retrospectives
Start, stop, continueA quick retrospective in three columns: what we should start doing, stop doing, and keep doing — ending with two or three changes to try.35 min · 4 stepsThe 4 Ls retrospectiveLook back on a piece of work through four words — what we liked, learned, lacked and longed for — to see both the good and what was missing.45 min · 4 stepsSailboat retrospectiveDraw a boat sailing to an island: the team adds what pushes it forward (wind), what holds it back (anchors), and risks ahead (rocks) — a picture that makes a retrospective easier to talk about.45 min · 5 stepsMad, sad, gladA retrospective built on feelings: what made the team mad, what made it sad, and what made it glad — useful when emotions are running high and need to be heard before problems can be fixed.45 min · 5 steps
Problem solving
Five whysAsk “why?” about a problem, then about the answer, and keep going — usually around five times — until you reach a cause you can actually fix.30 min · 4 stepsPremortemBefore starting a project, imagine it has already failed and have everyone write down why — then change the plan to prevent the likeliest causes.40 min · 5 stepsWalk the boardRun a team stand-up by going through the work board from right to left — what is nearly done first — instead of person by person, so the talk is about finishing work.15 min · 4 stepsParking lotA visible list where topics that come up but do not belong in this meeting are written down, so they are not lost and the meeting stays on track.10 min · 4 stepsTimeboxingGive each part of a meeting or task a fixed amount of time, and stop when it runs out — then decide whether to continue, move on, or come back to it.10 min · 4 steps
Sales
SPIN questionsA way to run a sales conversation through four kinds of question — Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-payoff — so the buyer explains, in their own words, why a change is worth it.35 min · 5 stepsMEDDICA checklist for qualifying a large sale: Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain and Champion — so you know whether a deal is real and what is missing.35 min · 6 stepsBANTA quick way to qualify a sales lead with four questions — Budget, Authority, Need and Timing — so time goes to buyers who can actually buy.20 min · 5 steps
Coaching and interviews
GROW coaching modelA four-step coaching conversation — Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward — that helps someone find their own answer instead of being told one.30 min · 4 stepsSTAR methodA way to ask and answer interview questions about past behaviour: the Situation, the Task, the Action the person took, and the Result — so answers are specific, not general claims.20 min · 5 steps
How these are written
Each page is one method: when it helps and when it does not, the steps with a time for each, and an example of what comes out — made up, and labelled so. Press Run it in a meeting and a room opens with the steps as the agenda.
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