Iaf article design

10 | IAF EUROPE NEWSLETTER | 02/2010

Denmark 1974

.... a 6-year old girl enters the school gate at the local Folkeskole for the first time in her life... she holds in her hand the typed letter inviting her to the first day in first grade... she meets the other 24 new pupils in the school yard where Dannebro is flying from the flagpole... she walks hand in hand in pairs with her class mates to the gathering in

pupils in the nine grades are lined up in rows start-

ing with her group of small, first graders to the left and the very tall (and slightly intimidating) ninth graders to the very right .... she sings a psalm and

knowledge that she will undertake over the next nine years, the discipline needed, the homework to expect... she marches 2 by 2 behind Miss Johan-son to the class room that is to be the home of her

class for the next year... she sit at a desk with her friend, desks in rows behind one another ... she receives her time table and pencil, a sponsor gift from the local bank, and copies the classes that she is to take from the blackboard to the paper... she is introduced to the main teachers - Mrs Gars-dahl for history, Miss Johanson for Danish, Mr Pe-tersen for maths, and receives her three first work-books... she eats her pre-packed lunch ... and walks out after a very overwhelming experience, holding the hand of her proud parents ...

Denmark 2004

.... a boy aged 6 enters the school gate at the local

Folkeskole ... he holds in his hand a colourful invi-tation with the program of this first day at school... he is met by his 3rd year buddy who takes him to the Mars mountain, the central agora for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, where all the new pupils are

Shaping effective, inspiring human interaction through design By Nille Skalts

Working around the STAR (photo courtesy of Nille Skalts)

02/2010 | IAF EUROPE NEWSLETTER | 11

gathered... here he meets Pernille and Michael,

next 3 years,... there is no classroom, but a myriad of different rooms, the pillow room for reading, the tipi for class instructions, the kitchen, the work-shop area... they have no set timetable, it is flexi-ble and will change to accommodate learning needs of the pupils, who have had their learning styles identified before starting school and will have individualised learning goals and plans... the

kids and their parents can download the plan every fourth night from the school intranet... the kids are called to a meeting in the Forum, where the new pupils march in holding the hands of their buddy, to the applause of all the other children sitting on

dents council, a girl from 8th grade welcomes them to their first day at school... finally they all go to the school yard and each sends off a bal-loon bearing their name to mark the global journey of learning they are all embarking on... and all the kids and their parents are invited to a buffet lunch to celebrate that the first day is over... Two stories from Danish school life... two very different environments, with different people, different process designs and very different meth-ods applied, but two processes with the same overall purpose, to get the six-year-old school start-ers launched on their nine-year long journey of learning in the Danish Folkeskole.

That sparked our interest for design! Here was an example of two very different process de-signs that delivered the same end result. Would that also be true for the processes that we, as con-sultants, facilitate every day? And would a con-scious focus on design elements - and which were they? - and not just on facilitation skills and tech-niques make a notable difference in the quality of our interventions? We took a close look at the processes we were facilitating and realized that while the pur-pose or the why we are facilitating a given process and the what that needs to be delivered is often

often not connected closely enough to the goals of the process. There seems to be great artistic free-dom in how to realise that particular purpose - and

spark this particular potential! We also noticed that our interest in design was met with a certain skepticism from our col-leagues - design was for large events, not work-shops and meetings! But we chose to dwell on design and to work on isolating the specific pa-rameters that needed attention in the design phase - at least in a Danish context! We keep noticing that most attention in the professional community is given to the role of

the scene is the role of the designer, and playing it live is where the facilitator excels. These are dis-tinct roles requiring different toolboxes and differ-ent competencies. Their centers of interest are dif-ferent: the designer most often is focused on de-signing the big picture process, while the facilitator most often directs attention to the actual interac-tion and interpersonal dynamics in situ. What does-

together to deliver great processes. This article focuses on the framework that we elaborated to help in the design phase and the five steps to designing the interaction that will best help to reach a given purpose.

I. The design STAR model

- in this case to the process, defined as a meeting between


Designing state of the art processes

people with a professional purpose where the re-sult is not pre-defined, but is created and unfolded

process. The design structure is the room of the

- the organisation of the process in which the results have to be delivered. Designing energetic, effective and inspiring human processes that deliver the desired results requires focus on various parameters. Whatever the desired results may be. the design STAR has five different dimensions that you always must con-sider when designing: the purpose, the people, the process design, the environment, and the methods.

The star can be used as a tool for diagnosis, analysing and uncovering all you know about the

tool to shape the process and actually make the different decisions on purpose, people, process, methods and environment; and finally, as a overview for the facilitator, to know what buttons to push once the process is rolling. All processes have at least three steps - a before, a during, and an after. Processes naturally can be iterative and repetitive, but these phases

responsibility covers all phases from the pre-intervention steps to the post-intervention implementation. In most processes, most time and attention is focused on the middle phase of actual interaction, the during phase - but often the preparation before demands more time, just as the after the interaction does.

II. Designing processes

A step by step approach following the model When we are designing processes, it is not a question of form rather than content but a ques-tion of the right form for the right content, so eve-rything we do as designers must serve the overall purpose. Unclear, unshared purposes and un-aligned expectations are the single most important reason that processes fail to deliver results! This is

why it pays to focus attention on defining the pur-pose, deliverables and success criteria, and match-ing those with the person who is to facilitate the process, before actually starting to design the proc-ess. First, we zoom in on the purpose and on the facilitator, and we ask ourselves two main ques-tions: what is the goal of the process, and who will facilitate it? In the metaphor of the illustration, you

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(Credit: E. Petri, COPE 2010)

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what you wish to achieve with the dinner party, and what will be the success criteria to measure the effect. Then you match the purpose with the

you look at the host, who has to facilitate the cooking and the interactions during dinner. Does that person have the right competencies to ensure that the process achieves the purpose? What is his/her style? Would it be a good idea to team up with

another co-facilitator?

Design elements for PURPOSE & FACILITATOR

Purpose - why do we have to engage in this proc-ess? Goals and expectations - are there specific expec-tations from different stakeholders? Deliverables - what will be concrete outputs, deci-sions, work products? Success criteria - how do we measure success? Form and framework - how much time do we

have? In which context? Who is facilitating? What are his/her preferences, strengths? Is there a co-facilitator and what are the different roles we will play? Or what is the preferred facilitator profile?

When you have established and validated the purpose with key stakeholders, then you work your way around the different corners of the star in the order that makes the most sense to you in the specific situation. We most often start with people. As we de-fine processes as people meeting with a profes-sional purpose, we cannot stress enough the im-portance of showing considerable interest in who is a part of the process even before the process un-

folds! In the metaphor, that means zooming in on the guests. In designing, it means getting to know as much as possible about the people who will be an important part of the process, before, during and after - key stakeholders, decision makers, influen-cers, and naturally, the participants. Who are they? How many? Do they know each other? What are their characteristics? Does the purpose impact the people that need to be present and how they should interact?

Design elements for PEOPLE

Who are participating? How many, average age, gender...? What is the composition of the group? Prefer-ences, cultures, learning styles, a new constella-

Generic Design for Small Scale Processes ( 6 to max 25 participants)

Drawn program

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tion or established team, professions, levels of hierarchy...? What is the organisational culture and style? Or-

ganisational values, traditions, experience with the subject What are the expected group dynamics? Interrela-tions, expected patterns of reactions,... Are the right people present? Do we need them all? Who is missing to ensure max mix and syn-ergy? Do we lack key players to make critical deci-sions?

Having explored the people dimension, we

move on to process design creating the master

plan that will take the process from start to finish. The first part of the master plan is the program or agenda - the plan for what will happen. Having

designed many agendas, we have discovered that there is a basic agenda design that can be used as the framework - whatever design you have to make. (See diagram on page 14) We found it very interesting when we real-ised that the differences in working with process

types such as world cafe, open space, appreciative inquiry or accelerated camps basically only show in the part of the programme where you are actually producing something. Introducing, frame-setting, concluding and closing parts, while always obliga-tory, can be based on different methods. The programme also has a very clear com-municating part. This is what the participants will

see and use as their guiding star - it sets the tempo of the session, the steps to be taken, and indicates the essential elements of timing. This can

take various forms, a traditional word document - or maybe a graphic illustration of the different stops of the day? (See the example of a graphic agenda illustrated above) The other part of the master plan is the

process scriptprocess. The process script details the process de-sign with all the aspects needed to fulfill the pur-pose and includes the purpose of each agenda point; the atmosphere you wish to create; the type

of interaction you plan; what methods are being used; the timing, roles and responsibilities; the design of the room; and needed materials etc. It covers the whole process - what happens before the participants enter the room, what kind of pre-work should they do, and what happens after? Using our metaphor, we can compare the process design to the cookbook - what are the pre- and post-dinner aspects, who is responsible, why do we undertake the different steps, what is the timing. The actual menu is a part of this and can be compared to the agenda.

Design elements related to the process design

What is the overview of the whole process? What happens before, during and after? What bigger process (change, project, plan, etc) is the process a part of?

Drawn program Your Room is Your Residence


What is the program for the interaction? What is the flow? How do you create a balance between tempo/energy, reflexion/intimacy, group/individual interaction, concrete and abstract as-pects? Time and timing? How much time do you have? How long will each sequence be? Did you think about in betweens, breaks? What is the purpose of each sequence in the process design? What is the content and plan for the individual sequences in the process design? Who takes responsibility for the different ele-ments in the process? What is your role as

facilitator? Do you need graphic illustrators? Scribes? Keynote speakers? Who is on stage? What materials are essential for the process de-sign? Handouts, logbooks, materials, paper, pens?

When the draft of the process design is

made, we consider the environment or the physical

frame of the process. Your room is your residence - choose it carefully, always take a look at it before you design the interaction, and use the different

aspects of it to the greatest degree possible! And that is the third design element. In our dinner party metaphor, we would consider the seating arrangements, how to design the specific atmosphere in the room - should it be sit down dinner and silver service? or finger food at the buffet? or lying down Roman style? And what decor and ambience - lights, flowers and music? When designing processes, we have to make sure

that the environment is welcoming for the participants and their well-being, and also conditions the type of interactions that you can have. An important part of creating a suitable en-vironment for the process to unfold relates to our senses - it is important to think about the right stimulation of all senses and to think creatively about doing so. Not too much, not too little - but just the right elements to support fulfillment of the goal.

Think light - does the room have windows? Can

you use candles to create an intimate atmos-phere? Think colours - different colours have different

impacts on people.

Think food - the type of food served during the

program sets the tone and the nutritional value of the food conditions the energy of the participants! Think decoration of the room - and use different

settings to indicate different forms of working.

Think sound - and use music to set the tone,

mark shifts in tempo and infuse energy. While many easy points can be scored by thinking creatively about the environment, very few

facilitators spend time on these aspects!

Design elements related to the environment

What kind of physical setting creates the right environment for a given process? Inside? Outside? Size, wall space, windows? Technical facilities? Furniture - do you need table and chairs? What artefacts are important for the process? Par-

Your Room is Your Residence Your Room is Your Residence


ticipant logbooks? Material as stickers? Uniforms? Name tags? Decoration? The five senses - How are they stimulated? What

tics? What is the temperature? Can you open the windows? What colours are present? What kind of lighting is used?

Finally, we concentrate on the methods and fine tune the design. This is where you take a deep

look at what tools are needed in the process de-sign, and finalise the design. This is where we es-tablish how to actually cook the meal: what are the individual steps and techniques? Should it be pan fried, boiled or baked in the oven?! And what are the small tricks and skills that add flavour to the menu? We distinguish between technical methods (or tools) and general facilitation methods. The first relate to the subject matter of the process (make a strategy requires strategic tools, ideation requires a toolbox of brainstorming, idea boosting, idea selec-tion etc). The latter are the tools used by facilita-tors regardless of the theme, such as openers, closers, energizers, icebreakers, handling dysfunc-tions, making decisions, steering the group dia-logue, etc...

Design elements related to the methods

How do you start and finish, and ensure energy in the process? What openers and closers to launch and end with a bang? What icebreakers and ener-

gizers are relevant in the context? How do you handle your role as the host? How do you establish contact with the participants, and get them engaged and signed on? How do you use yourself, your personality? What about tone of voice? What methods are you using? Which tool box are you using - strategy development tools? business model development? ideation? brainstorming? selection, value stream mapping,... etc? And are

you comfortable with them or do you need backup ...? How do you establish relations between the par-ticipants and build connectedness? How do you handle disagreements and control the dialogue? How do you open dialogue and close discussions? How do you handle conflict, what are good process questions, feedback meth-ods, decision making processes ...?

How do you make the final decisions? How do you evaluate? And ensure next steps?

unfold - bon appetit!

Nille Skalts is an experienced designer and facilitator. For the past 12 years, she has worked as a consultant both internationally and in Denmark, where she currently lives. She has designed and facilitated nu-merous change processes, and is currently focusing her attention on processes that spark potential, often related to setting strategy in motion and changing those who have the ability and responsibility to change others. She also trains consultants and pro-ject managers on design and facilitation. In 2009 she founded the company Spark with her business partner, Zakia Elvang. They had previously

Børsens Ledelseshåndbøger in Denmark in May 2008. design and facilitation, drop Nille a line at

European IAF Conference in Helsinki in October 2010.

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