Ritual Dissent

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Dissent and formal debate are valuable communication assets in complex contexts because they encourage the emergence of well-forged patterns and ideas.

• A “ritual dissent” approach puts parallel teams to work on the same problem in a large group meeting environment
• Each team appoints a spokesperson who moves from that team’s table to another team’s table
• The spokesperson presents the first group’s conclusions while the second group listens in silence
• The spokesperson then turns around to face away from the second team, which rips into the presentation, no holds barred, while the spokesperson listens quietly
• Each team’s spokesperson visits other tables in turn
• By the end of the session, all the ideas have been well dissected and honed
• Taking turns listening in silence helps everyone understand the value of listening carefully, speaking openly, and not taking criticism personally

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