On The Presentation of Data

As a small group facilitator with over a thousand meetings under my belt, the thing I enjoy most about my work is seeing groups present critical data in a creative ways. If I ever worry about innovation, creativity, and the potential for seeing situations in new ways, I remember how powerful it can be to simply give a small group permission to create. Over the years, these examples of teamwork have fueled changes in a team’s strategy, launched successful change efforts, and even turned a few companies around!

As many of you know my meeting designs are based on Action Research, believing and knowing that groups can do research on themselves, publish their findings, understand the meaning, and plan effectively based on a clear understanding of current reality. The part I want to emphasize today is the publishing of the data.

Giving teams permission to create means having people make large drawings of their findings, do skits about the current situation, sing songs about what it was like to work here last year, or create a haiku, simple and direct that describes our current dilemma. I have never been let down. The energy and the effort that go into these presentations is amazing. Often, just giving permission to present the data differently subtly allows the group to act in ways they wouldn’t ordinarily act. This alone is very freeing. The important issue for the facilitator is to get out of their way. Put them into small groups based on the data they collected. Give them a time boundary and let the creativity flow.

If I apply Robert Fritz’s theory to what you are doing, it looks like this. In the collecting of data groups most often are in problem solving mode. They are listing problems and finding that the problems are all connected to each other. This insight is both sobering and deflating. When we ask our teams to create a skit, sing a song, or write a poem about some aspect of their data, we see an immediate shift in thinking. Groups shift to the Creation Orientation. They are bringing something new into being.

This shift is almost always preceded by some form of resistance to the activity. The group may dumb down, “Again Mr. Facilitator, what do you want us to do?” They may create vociferous arguments, “This data is so serious and so important and you want us to make fun of it. We simply won’t do that.” When this occurs, push back. I always push back but in the end leave a choice to the small groups about whether they will create an innovative way to present their data. Guess what? Six months from now when all of results from the meeting have long faded, the one thing they will vividly remember is when the CEO participated in a skit about the business failing if we continue what we are doing. Riveting moments, emotionally charged, and presented honestly, with good intent are never forgotten.

Push your teams to create. Give them the permission they need to feel creative and innovative. You and your clients won’t be disappointed by the results. I promise.

Note: The picture at the top of this post was taken at a J&J Asia Pacific meeting in Sigapore and shows the Asian supply chain "dragon" busting through barriers based on the data they collected.

Got Roses?

The Pottstown Mercury gave "Roses" to the Owen J Roberts School District Town Hall process that we facilitated last week. We learned so much from doing it. We will be posting our tear down of the meeting shortly. We are still clarifying what we would do differently.

Feedback is an acquired taste.

We started in the Auditorium where a panel presented the main concepts, We designed a clicker execise to determine who was attending. We then moved the entire group to a large room of tables where everyone could sit at round tables and enter their comments of the presentations into "The Hive."

The Theme Team worked dilligently pulling out what was core, common, and consistent and reported out their findings to the large group. Excellent Process. Felt good to do it pro-bono! Remember: Good work always follows Good Work! The following mention appeared in the Pottstown Mercury.