Thread by @loleen_berdahl

In a Zoom meeting this week, my (amazing) colleague @jim_farney used a very cool technique for a balanced group discussion. He called it "problem spaghetti". Here is how it works: (1/n)

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1. Meeting chair poses question (e.g. “What is your feedback on X?”). Everyone types their response in the chat but does NOT hit share.
2. After 3 mins, chair asks everyone to share.
3. Group takes a few minutes to quietly read everyone’s responses. (2/n)

4. Chair selects either a common theme or particularly important item & focuses discussion on that point. Items of agreement and/or items not requiring discussion are NOT discussed further.
5. Chat comments are saved & shared with the full group after the meeting is done. (3/n)

The ‘spaghetti’ name comes from the idea of throwing spaghetti at the wall & seeing what sticks. It is useful to: (a) get quiet people to speak up (b) even out power differentials (c) prevent the first speaker from structuring the full group discussion & (d) save time. (4/n)

What approaches do you find work well for discussions in Zoom meetings? Are there techniques you have found effective to ensure a fulsome discussion?

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