It's true - everybody has an opinion! Big ones, little ones, difficult ones, simple ones, lonely ones and herd ones. So how do you facilitate an agile team to share differing opinions, constructively discuss options, and gain insight into each others opinions? Agile Team Facilitators use real live human interactive experiences to facilitate discussion dives, build team repore and allow product decision making.

The Interactive Human Spectrogram is most definitely a long name for a group excercise that basically gets people to stand where there mouth is!

Prepare your Session!

You will need;

• some space enough for your team,

• masking tape for the spectrogram index,

• markers to show the spectrum values

• position statements for discussion

• spectrum values

Optional support equipment;

• statement crowdsourcing technique

• discussion kanban

• behaviour guide toys

Set your space up

• place the tape along the floor; consider the number of people attending and number of values on the spectrum

• mark down the values you wish to have people allign to; for example

  • strongly disagree - disagree - agree - strongly agree

  • 0 - 10

  • consider metaphor characters; olympic medals - gold, silver, bronze, or movie characters - padawan (for newbie learner) to jedi knight (for experienced master)

    • creative metaphors help attendees to shift from their 'stagnant mindset' to a more creative responsive mindset - leverage these easy tools to help build the energy and collaboration you'd like

Run your session!

1. Introduce the Session by framing the basics

   • This an interactive spectrum

   • We'll choose the next statement & you will be asked to step to the value on the spectrum that best represents your position

A couple of free facilitation guides

• Facilitation - Interactive Techniques

• Human Spectogram Canvas

And resources from the web...

Human Spectagram

• http://wiki.sos.wa.gov/PeerLearning/Default.aspx?Page=Human-Spectrogram&NS=&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

• http://facilitation.aspirationtech.org/index.php?title=Facilitation:Spectrogram

  • http://facilitation.aspirationtech.org/index.php?title=Facilitation:Spectrogram_Facilitator_Notes

Constellation Activity

• http://www.coachingagileteams.com/2009/08/30/agile/agile-team-start-up/attachment/constellation-exercise/

• constellation-exercise - from Agile Coaching Institute

Facilitation Workshops

http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/2007/03/next-online-facilitation-workshop.htm