Helping Heuristics

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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.

This entry is part of Liberating Structures Field Notes, my collection of stories and reflections from the field. It's written for people who already know LS and are deepening their practice. If you're just getting started and looking for activity instructions, you'll find them at liberatingstructures.com..