Bootcamp 2: Apply and Reflect – Inclusive Collaboration

Apply and Reflect

Participate in the “Real-World” activity below and reflect on the experience

APPLY: Inclusive Collaboration

Objective: Practice facilitating an inclusive team discussion using the techniques learned in this lesson, with structured observation and documentation.

Setup Requirements:

  • Team Size: 4-6 people (your actual work team or volunteer group)
  • Time Needed: 90 minutes total (60 min discussion + 30 min debrief)
  • Materials: Timer, notebook for observations, flip chart or whiteboard
  • Topic: A real decision or problem your team needs to address

Pre-Activity Preparation (15 minutes)

  1. Select Your Challenge: Choose a genuine team decision or problem that requires input from multiple perspectives
  2. Map Cognitive Diversity: Using the lesson framework, identify the different thinking styles, communication patterns, and problem-solving approaches represented in your team
  3. Set Success Metrics: Define what successful inclusive facilitation will look like

Structured Facilitation Exercise (60 minutes)

  1. Phase 1: Silent Start (10 minutes)
    • Present the problem/decision to the team
    • Give everyone 5 minutes to write down their initial thoughts individually
    • No discussion allowed during this phase
    • Your Role: Observe who seems comfortable with silence vs. who appears eager to speak
  2. Phase 2: Round-Robin Input (20 minutes)
    • Each person shares their perspective for 3-4 minutes uninterrupted
    • Others may ask clarifying questions only (no rebuttals yet)
    • Your Role: Ensure equal speaking time, note different cognitive approaches emerging
  3. Phase 3: Anonymous Challenge (10 minutes)
    • Have team members write potential problems or concerns with emerging ideas on paper
    • Collect and read them aloud without attribution
    • Your Role: Facilitate discussion of concerns without revealing sources
  4. Phase 4: Devil’s Advocate Assignment (15 minutes)
    • Assign someone to argue against the most popular emerging solution
    • Encourage them to be thorough in identifying weaknesses
    • Your Role: Protect the devil’s advocate from pushback, encourage their role
  5. Phase 5: Implementation Perspective (5 minutes)
    • Ask: “How would the people who have to execute this decision view our solution?”
    • Include voices of those who will be affected by the outcome
    • Your Role: Ensure implementation concerns are heard and addressed
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