Scaling Conversations

CHAPTER 7Components of a Successful Scaled Conversation

A conversation, a successful conversation, doesn't just happen. To scale a conversation, you must create a safe place, the method you use needs to be bias‐free, and there has to be a fair process for each thought to be considered. And you, as the conversation leader, must have the necessary tools to understand what matters most.

A SAFE PLACE TO SHARE INDEPENDENT THOUGHTS

This first element has two pieces that need to be explained one at a time: Safety and Independence.

Safety

Safety is defined as the condition of being protected. The learning here for scaled conversations is what people need to be protected from. When facilitating an event in which the agenda was set using the game “35” (described at the start of the book), I found that, when everyone was given the chance to share an agenda item from the safety of anonymity, everyone participated. Every time. This is a simple but powerful point. In a typical agenda‐setting process for a large group conversation, those with privilege and power are typically the only ones to decide what the topics will be.

In soliciting ideas for setting the agenda, the next thing I witnessed was the power of a safe process. Since every participant had had the chance to contribute to the agenda, those same people mostly reported feeling the meeting was a productive use of their time. Similarly, they also reported feeling the outcome was acceptable because the process was safe for everyone, ...