{"id":4455,"date":"2022-01-27T14:51:22","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T06:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/open.designhu-demo.com\/?post_type=cases&p=4455"},"modified":"2022-05-09T11:14:29","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T03:14:29","slug":"post-it-notes-and-facilitation","status":"publish","type":"cases","link":"https:\/\/open-quest.com\/en\/cases\/post-it-notes-and-facilitation\/","title":{"rendered":"Post-it Notes and Facilitation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tribute to Dr. Spencer Sliver, inventor of the Post-it<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00ae Notes<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Author: Laura Hsu<\/span>CPF|M<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Translated by Alyson Tseng<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The New York Times published an article<\/span>, <\/span>in memory of the late Dr. Spencer Silver.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/13\/business\/spencer-silver-dead.html<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon reading this article, the first thought occurred to me was that we as facilitators should pay a tribute to Dr. Spencer Silver<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who could imagine packing your material box to<\/span> your facilitation workshop without any Post-it<\/span>\u00ae Notes?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The story of Mr. Persistent<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Silver, an American chemist at 3M research laboratory, was specialized in adhesives. He was trying to develop a strong adhesive for aircraft construction, but the adhesive he invented failed that purpose<\/span>. <\/span>Instead, he accidentally created a “low-tack”, reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive<\/span>.<\/span> Dr. Silver was certain it was a breakthrough. He began to hold seminars throughout 3M, hoping he would spark ideas among its product developers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Years after his inadvertent discovery,<\/span> a colleague who had attended one of his seminars,\u202f<\/span>Art Fry<\/span><\/a>, came up with the idea of using the adhesive to anchor his bookmark in his\u202f<\/span>hymn book<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>The bookmark was easily attach to the surfaces but did not hurt pages when removed. Hence, Post-it\u00ae Notes were born and Dr. Sliver was known as \u201cMr. Persistent\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image 1: Dr. Silver3M News Center<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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In 1980, the product was manufactured by 3M, and has become so<\/span> popular in workplaces around the globe.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Participation Formats<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Post-it\u00ae Notes provides an important choice in Participation Formats in the field of facilitation<\/span>. <\/span>Participation Formats could be understood as the various ways and forms used in the process of facilitation to induce reflection and interaction, once the crucial questions are being asked in the process<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you imagine an extreme situation where facilitators<\/span> only ask questions but not use any Participation Formats, participants could only go to the default format of an open discussion. In open discussions, the challenge is usually how to track the topics when conversation is being unfold. There is also the layer of what is being said and what is still in the head. If only one person speaks at a time, the thinking and processing in the rest of the group might be delayed. It is possible that you won\u2019t be able to contribute your opinions even if you have the urge to speak. And you might probably forget about the ideas when it is finally your turn. Not to mention if you are shy or unwilling to speak up<\/span>, <\/span>it is possible that you sit through the meeting without speaking your mind even once<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Other extended forms of basic participation<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Practitioners in the field had invented various ways to overcome the challenges, for example:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Round-Robin: Taking turns speaking. Make sure everyone’s voice is appropriately heard during group discussions.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Small Group Discussion: Divide into small groups and then rejoin the big groups. This creates a safe space for sensitive topics.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Nonetheless, there is still a possibility to omit individual\/overall opinions in these forms of participation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    How do facilitators work before Post-it<\/span><\/b>\u00ae Notes?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    I was chatting with my mentor\/colleague Larry (Lawrence Philbrook CPF|E) mentioned his facilitation journey when he was younger.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    He was facilitating community building projects in India, where everyone lived in brick houses back then. At that time, the fundamental tool for facilitation was a can of black paint, and the usage was to find a relatively flat wall and paint it black. You wait until the wall is dried out, and you get to write on it with chalks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    When he was in Africa, he utilized the recycled cardboards donated by a soap company, using twigs to pierce through cardboards, and fix them on the wall.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Image 2: Gram Sabha, India. Community facilitation group discussion, 1970s. Provided by Lawrence Philbrook <\/span>CPF|E<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Image 3: Western Province, Kenya. Community facilitation<\/span>: <\/span>Action Planning Process. Provided by Lawrence Philbrook<\/span> CPF|E<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Long before, facilitators have discovered the benefits of visualization. Visualizing the agenda with chalks, either in written or drawing form, is the former version of visual record. With the help of visualization, the team\u2019s ideas can be fully recorded and the evolution of topics and ideas in the discussion can be traced.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    In contemporary times, almost every conference room is equipped with white boards and Flipcharts. With these tools serving their purpose for visualization, facilitators no longer need to carry the paint cans around.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    What could be the challenges when facilitating on a big wall\/paper?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    In the actual practice of facilitating on a big wall (white board or Flipchart), there is always one common issue: Listing and organizing the ideas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Imagine we are listing the current obstacles that need some breakthroughs in a project. Everyone is taking turns and listing the points. There may be seven to ten points on the Flipchart, and some of them are possibly relevant. If we are to organize the relevance between the points, here are some ways to do it:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Relevance proposition:\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n