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Episode 037

December 4, 2019

037 – How to facilitate group decisions in 4 easy steps – with Marjolijn de Graaf

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    Intro

    Episode 037 is all about decision-making! On the show with me is Marjolijn de Graaf,  decision designer and change architect, and author of “Decisions by Design”. On the show, Marjolijn guides us through the 4-step approach that she developed to assist organizations with complex decision-making.  

    We speak about the art of decision-making and how a simple design process can lead to decisions that will be implemented. On the show, Marjolijn walks us through the 4-steps and uses clear analogies to explain that a decision-making process can take between 5 minutes and several days. 

    ​​You will learn the importance of exploring differences before seeking agreement and what you have to do so that the final step of making the decision appears natural to the group.

    ​Don’t miss the part when Marjolijn explains how she uses the 4 steps approach to decide on the most suitable workshop format with her client!

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    Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own – take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

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    Questions and Answers

    1:47 When did you start calling yourself a decision designer?

    3:32 What makes it so difficult to make decisions, why would we need a designer for that?

    5:01 You have developed a multi-step process for effective decision-making. Could you guide us through this process?

    8:35 Which would be the four steps?

    9:31 What is your role as a facilitator in this process and what do you consider the biggest challenge for them to make a decision? 

    13:10 Who would you invite to that decision-making workshop? 

    14:20 Would you invite different people to the different phases? 

    17:03 How do you help groups to include perspectives that they wouldn’t have thought about at first? 

    19:10 How do you sort these facts to help the group to make a decision? 

    26:01 Must the group be together for step 1, the fact discovery?

    27:50 What is the time span you calculate for the first two steps?

    31:47 How did you come to realise that you had to adjust the workshop format and how did the client react?

    33:37 What happens after step 2?

    35:02 How do you facilitate the step where you open the discussion to the group level?

    37:55 This means that you would first expose all the extreme differences in perspectives?

    40:45 And then it comes to decision making in step 4?

    41:50 Are you seeking consensus?

    42:53 What makes workshops fail? 

    46:24 Would delay the decision making when you feel the group isn’t ready?

    48:23 What is the nugget to take away from this episode?  

    Links

    Marjolijn’s business page: https://www.impactcompany.nl/

    Her book “Decisions by Design” 

    Download the free Decision Design Canvas. This strategic tool maps the entire route of group decision-making, in one handy overview.

    Episode 03 with Frans Scheepens on Brainstorming with huge groups

    Our sponsor Session Lab – An online agenda builder and exercise library

    Connect to Marjolijn

    on LinkedIn