Developing a Strategy

A strategy session is an unstructured meeting where people are encouraged to solve a problem or devise a plan by freely thinking of and voicing ideas. Groups will be most committed to acting on decisions they helped to make.

Strategy Process

A group is presented with a problem, and group members are encouraged to think and voice possible solutions to the problem. Solutions are either voiced at random, or each group is given a turn to speak.

A facilitator stands before the group and writes down ideas as they are voiced. Ideas are written in plain sight of the entire group.

The idea is to generate a large number of ideas without judging or evaluating the ideas. Group members are encouraged to build off each other's ideas. After the session, when the group runs out of ideas, use an open forum to evaluate the ideas generated until only the best ideas with the largest consensus remain.

Ask these questions to evaluate ideas:

• Is the idea specific?
• Is the idea unifying?
• Does the group have the resources to make the idea work?
• Will the idea take a long time to implement?
• Will implementing the idea bring results in the near future?

Tips for a Successful Strategy Session

• Set aside preconceived notions. Be as open and creative as possible.
• Allow plenty of time.
• Initially, do not judge or evaluate ideas. Judging inhibits the flow of ideas. Wait until the evaluation stage of the session to make judgments about the feasibility or value of an idea.
• Explain the value of all ideas, even during the evaluation stage. Ideas are chosen for the benefit of the group, and the best ideas help the group the most. Nobody's ideas win or nobody's ideas lose.