Discussing Design: Improving Communication and Collaboration through Critique

by Adam Connor

Critique scope and goals. Set the context and boundaries for the conversation. If the discussion begins to fall outside of your limits, by having these explicitly set, you can steer the conversation back within them. Active listening. Repeating back an insight or observation as you’ve understood it so that someone can confirm if your understanding matches the intent of that person. Simple structures. Formats such as Round Robin or Quotas can ease some apprehension and give people a predictable structure within which to work. Direct inquiry. Asking questions of people directly ensures that you take advantage of their expertise and experience with a topic. Thinking hats/lenses. Focus the conversation on a single aspect or angle at one time. Notes. Take notes publicly so that participants can verify that what is being captured matches what they’re trying to say. Facilitators. Use a third party to manage the flow of the conversation. Although this can be helpful at first, as a team gains experience, it’s better that it take on this role.