Meeting Tools to Get Started - 5 Ladder of Abstraction

"A mental model that I frequently use is the Ladder of Abstraction. It was developed by the American linguist S. I. Hayakawa in his 1939 book Language in Action.

The model describes varying levels of abstraction (up) and concreteness (down) and helps describe our language and thoughts.

The higher up the ladder you are the more abstract the idea, language or thought is. The lower you are on the ladder the more concrete the idea, language or thought is."

https://medium.com/@tombarrett/up-and-down-the-ladder-of-abstraction-cb73533be751

Clarify the scope of the problem prior to taking generative leaps.

It can be done in solo or in groups of 2-10, with a time spent of 30 to 60 minutes.

Methodology:

PREPARE -

* Select the topic

* Include people with diverse perspectives

LEAD -

* Explain the purpose of this exercise and review team insights

* Review session problem statement for feedback

* Right-size your statement by laddering up and down

* Determine next steps

Tools Needed:

Video Conference Platform Virtual Whiteboard, i.e. Mural, or other shared document platform (optional)

Pairs Well with:

Conducting a Brainstorm Problem Statements Crazy 8's

TIPS: (To get actionable insights)

* Don't just think it, write it (from broad to narrow)

* Compare & contrast exercises.

* Add "How might we"...to frame the questions