Starting something or feeling stuck?
One or all of these questions can move us forward. Ask them more and pass them on.
Who’s Involved?
What’s happening? Why?
What matters most?
What ways are there?
What’s a step to try?
Watch a short video, or just…
START EXPLORING THESE QUESTIONS,
with and for the people involved.
Just make some space to ask these questions.
In your head, on a scrap of paper, whiteboard, email, Google doc, or any of the worksheets or apps in Resources.
Explore new possibilities. Use the cues on the Compass:
Other people and especially feelings in any of these questions.
Different sides and details of what’s happening for people.
Guiding stars for what matters most in whatever you do here.
A bigger picture of even cloud-like dreamy ideas.
A small step with real details that’s OK if it flops so you’ll try it!
When in doubt, let it out with a ? mark (especially when considering other people) and go find out. A ? mark helps new, even wild thoughts come—and helps let old ones go.
Go wherever moves you forward! Or, by the numbers.
You can think POPIE (“pop-y” like popping out of your stuck): People, Observations, Principles, Ideas, Experiments and back to what happens for all involved (#1&2).
You can toss your Compass, keep building on it, or save it in an “atlas” of challenges you’ve navigated.
Go deeper for bigger stucks.
Tips from the printable Pocket Compass in Resources
Use short tips under Resources.
Like the ones at right from the printable Pocket Compass, or the Cue Cards.
Use the Cues on the Compass.
Go for details in Observations and Experiments. Let ideas be dreamy, like the cloud.
Explore any question more.
Question and change things. E.g. What's happening? Why? Why? What else is happening? Try Tips Sheet #1 for some hints.
Tap into your and others' Ten+ Tools (Tips Sheet #2)
E.g. What if I look, listen, or feel? Seek what others do, think, feel? Draw, move, or make? Check what my heart or gut says?
Use the other spaces.
E.g. What observations or principles are behind the ideas I have? What happened from experiments I tried before?
Use it with other tools you love.
Specific tools—from design to leadership—remind us to explore one or more of these questions in the ways above. Use any you like. E.g. Make an “Empathy Map” (one inspiration for the Ten+ Tools) to capture Observations.
And of course, let these questions inspire more questions of your own!
TIPS FOR GROUPS
Try “Sticky, then Speak—Read, Add, Repeat” (thanks Audrey O'Clair!) so that everyone can contribute: For each question...
1. “Sticky:” Everyone takes a few quiet minutes to collect their thoughts, writing/drawing each thought on a separate sticky note.
2. “Then, speak:”
“Read:” 1 person reads aloud just what they wrote on one sticky and posts it.
“Add:” Others with a similar thought add theirs next to the first, creating a group—or can just add a “+1”.
“Repeat:” Someone else shares 1 thought, and so on till all the thoughts are out and grouped. If desired, you can label the groups as you go. More thoughts will come up, which is great—just encourage everyone to “sticky before you speak” to share talking time.
A few more ideas for groups are on the last Tips Sheet, #3, and in this video. Remember to start with small experiments for anything that's new (including this tool!)! Try this yourself a couple of times before using it in an important group moment.
PLEASE USE AND SHARE! AND JUST....
Many years have gone into these tools, with the dream of making a difference. Please use and share them, non-commercially. All I ask is that you:
Credit them (to Ela Ben-Ur & innovatorscompass.org) so others can find them.
Email or tweet your experiences for me and maybe others to learn from. (Bonus: answer some of these questions).
Ask others to do the same.
License specifics are here.