TOPIC SCENARIOS (FROM THE FACILITATION CHAPTER)

During the Planning step, we saw that, even after choosing the subject, many choices about topics (or agenda items) can be overwhelming. I’ve successfully used scenarios to take subjects down a notch and to set up the agenda (the “scaffolding”) in a manner that helps us to pinpoint where know-how may reside. As we saw in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement “Process versus Content” example (in Chapter 3 [“Facilitation”]), working through scenarios during the Planning step can help move the participants onto the same page and improve the efficiency of the Planning step. Here are those scenarios that have helped me to narrow down Knowledge Jam topics:

• For product knowledge: Product or product feature change, product upgrade, a change in product interface (to another application, complementary product, data, or partner product). Products could be anything from doorknobs to drug development software.