This is the slide deck for one of my proposed Agile 2016 workshops.

1. Improving Understanding
Between Each Other
Paul Boos
IT Executive Coach

2. Why is it
important
to
understand
each
other?

3. Exercise Time
Game

4. Instructions
• Separate into 3 or 4 teams
• Elect a leader
• Leader gets a goal & shares
w/team (visual sharing only)
• 1st team to arrange all chairs
to meet their goal w/in 2 min
wins!
NO TALKING!
Accredited
to Chris Sims

5. Debrief

6. What is going on in our heads?
• Things aren’t always as simple as exposing them…
• Let’s look at how our mental models can shape
how we think…

7. Exercise
• I’m going to present an image of people in rush
hour in NYC; I’ll have an arrow pointing to one
person.
• I want you to write down the following:
• Is this morning or afternoon rush? What gave you the
clue?
• What type of work do you think that person does & why
you thought that?
• What do you think that person is thinking?
• If you were given $1000 to help that person in some way
other than giving it directly to them, how would you go
about doing it? Why did you select this choice?

9. Exercise (Again)
• I’m going to again present the same image of
people in rush hour in NYC; I’ll have an arrow
pointing to a different person.
• I want you to write down the following:
• What type of work do you think that person does & why
you thought that?
• What do you think that person is thinking?
• If you were given $1000 to help that person in some way
other than giving it directly to them, how would you go
about doing it? Why did you select this choice?

11. Next Step
• For both your responses, categorize what your
answers were into the following:
What was factual?
(What could I
actually see…)
What did I infer?
(What did I believe
may be occurring…)
Why did I think that?
(Any prior event that
to led my thinking…)

12. Ladder of Inference
Event
How To Find Common Ground When Engineers Don’t Like Features – Teresa Torres, Jan 2013
Ladder of Inference credited to Chris Argyris by Peter Senge in the Fifth Disipline

13. The Event Of Conversation

14. The Event Of Conversation

15. The Event Of Conversation

16. The Event Of Conversation

17. How do we
our
beliefsfrom getting
prevent
in the way?

18. a shared vision
Co-create

19. Exercise
At your table,
• Make a list of the types of visions that can be
created
• Add who typically creates these
• Add the answer to this question: “In what ways can
these become co-created?”

20. Debrief
Take a look at how your visions become co-created…
• What happens during this process of co-creation?
• Where does the original idea for the vision come
from..? What role does a person that originates an
idea take on during co-creation?
• Did anyone have teaming agreements as a form of
vision?

21. The Johari Window
Known to Self Unknown to Self
KnowntoOthersUnknowntoOthers
TELL
ASK
FEEDBACK
DISCLOSURE
SHARED
DISCOVERY
OPEN
AREA
BLIND
AREA
HIDDEN
AREA
UNKNOWN
AREA

22. Ask forand
provide
feedback

23. assumptions
Voluntarily make
explicit

24. Exercise
At your table,
• List ways you make assumptions explicit
• Think about the last few exercises to help you,
specifically co-creating visions and the mental
model exercise of people in the subway

25. Debrief
• What happens normally when we have competing
ideas?
• Do assumptions usually get discussed?
• What changes when we begin discussing
assumptions?

26. Thanks - Keep in Touch
Paul Boos
IT Executive Coach
703-307-4322
paul.boos@excella.com
@paul_boos