Helping Heuristics looks quite similar to Troika Consulting but the former creates a client-coach dynamic while the latter sets up a client-consultant one. That difference is distinct enough to help see which one is a better fit for a particular need.

In practice

Rounds of two minutes feels like it might be rushed but it's more than enough to close the feedback loop on a situation<>solutions. I think it's because this whole exchange could be a natural conversation. What the microstructure does is to provide a sequence of constraints so that anyone can follow (mimic) a coaching process.

Facilitation notes

Helping Heuristics calls for groups to place attention to four patterns of interactions - Quiet presence, Guided discovery, Loving provocation, and Process mindfulness.

While there is space to debrief these four patterns at the end of the rounds, with the role of Observer to aid this discussion, there may be times when we want to provide more guidance upfront.

Here are two approaches discussed in our LS practice group:

Before breaking out into triads, model the anti-pattern and collectively analyze the behavior and what should be happening instead. The anti-pattern may include behavior such as questioning the client's abilities, pressuring them with a forceful solution, not grounding the advice in the client's experience etc.
Provide specific language elements for the Coach to open each round, such as "I'm going to summarize what I heard..." as more concrete scaffolding to enter that particular interaction.

Another twist could be to introduce "personas" for the Coach to take on, ala Six Thinking Hats. Bringing in this element of role-play could broaden the range of the exchange, especially if the Coach dons a different one for iterative rounds on the same challenge.

Useful to include in the initial prompt: have the Observer be the timekeeper.

Workshop design notes

For a one-off workshop, it could be interesting as a team-building step early in the process. Or perhaps as a way to model the helper posture between different populations in a group.

I'm curious about introducing Helping Heuristics in a peer-coaching program or as a peer-coaching segment in a team-coaching program. It would be a simple way to elevate the ability of the group to help each other, and could be introduced as a recurring activity once the foundations are laid.

See instructions

This entry is part of an ongoing series of Field notes from my Liberating Structures practice.

LS under development
- Aug 16, 2020 Tiny monsters
- Aug 13, 2020 Narrative reauthoring
- Aug 12, 2020 Spiral journal
- Aug 9, 2020 Mad Tea Party
Microstructures
- Feb 24, 2021 Helping Heuristics
- Oct 4, 2020 Nine Whys
- Oct 4, 2020 Appreciative interviews
- Sep 24, 2020 Ecocycle planning
- Sep 20, 2020 Celebrity interview
- Aug 22, 2020 25/10 Crowdsourcing
- Aug 22, 2020 Open space technology
- Aug 22, 2020 Wise crowds
- Aug 14, 2020 Wicked questions
- Aug 13, 2020 Heard, seen, respected
- Aug 13, 2020 15% Solution
- Aug 13, 2020 Triz
- Aug 13, 2020 Min specs
- Aug 12, 2020 User experience fishbowl
- Aug 11, 2020 Conversation cafe
- Aug 11, 2020 Troika Consulting
- Aug 11, 2020 Impromptu networking
- Aug 10, 2020 1-2-4-All