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Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 65fe9f6f01d1c0f455c58339e76b0ac42f6058d95bcfb3d9fbf0cadc31a8b9f4

# Discovery and Action Dialogue

A small group works through seven progressive questions to uncover existing internal practices that solve a recurring, chronic problem. Participants identify what colleagues already do differently under the same constraints and decide on voluntary next steps.

**Time:** 45 minutes. WorkshopBank lists 25 minutes as tight and 45 to 60 minutes as typical. 45 minutes provides sufficient time for full discovery without rushing.
**People:** 5 to 15. Single circle or cluster of 5 to 15 people; split groups larger than 15 into separate circles of 5 to 8 each with their own recorder.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Surface internal positive outlier practices and collect voluntary action commitments to address a persistent operational problem.
**Use it when:** Use when frontline staff face a chronic, complex operational issue that standard policies or top-down instructions have failed to resolve.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the problem has a known technical fix, when management has already chosen the solution, or when participants lack direct daily experience with the work.

## Materials and tools

- 1 flip chart pad
- 1 flip chart easel or wall hanging space
- 4 chisel-tip markers
- Printed handout of the 7 dialogue questions (optional, 1 per person)

## Before participants arrive

1. Select a specific chronic operational problem experienced directly by the participants.
2. Write the 7 core dialogue questions on a flip chart sheet visible to all seats.
3. Arrange chairs in a close circle or cluster without intervening conference tables.
4. Designate a recorder to capture exact behaviors and quotes on flip chart paper during the discussion.

## Say this to open

Welcome. We are here to talk about our shared challenge: [state the framed problem]. Our goal is not to debate policy or wait for outside instructions. We want to discover what practical things people right here are already doing to get better results under the exact same conditions. I will ask seven questions in order. You are free to speak or simply listen. [Name] will write down specific behaviors and ideas on the flip chart. Let us look at question 1: How do you know when this problem is present?

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce and observe the symptoms (6 minutes)

State the framed problem and read Question 1: 'How do you know when [problem] is present?' Invite participants to name concrete signs, symptoms, and frontline indicators they notice in daily work. The recorder lists these visible signals on the flip chart. Move on once the group shares a concrete picture of the problem.

### 2. Examine personal practice and barriers (14 minutes)

Read Question 2: 'How do you contribute to solving [problem], or what do you do to protect yourself and prevent it affecting others?' Allow participants to volunteer specific personal workarounds or habits. Next, ask Question 3: 'What prevents you from doing this or taking these actions all the time?' Listen to systemic barriers and time pressures without defending current management rules. The recorder notes behaviors and obstacles in separate columns.

### 3. Uncover positive deviants (12 minutes)

Read Question 4: 'Do you know anybody who is able to frequently solve [problem] and overcome these barriers? What behaviors or practices made their success possible?' Prompt the room for exact actions colleagues take to bypass hurdles. Focus on observable habits rather than personal traits. If participants do not want to name names, ask them to describe the exact action observed.

### 4. Develop ideas and identify voluntary action (8 minutes)

Read Questions 5, 6, and 7 together: 'Do you have any ideas?', 'What needs to be done to make it happen, and are there any volunteers?', and 'Who else needs to be involved?' The group proposes next steps based on the behaviors uncovered. Record only voluntary commitments where someone explicitly offers to try an action or contact another team. Do not assign tasks to anyone.

### 5. Review recorded findings (5 minutes)

Ask the recorder to read back the key outlier practices, barriers, volunteer commitments, and people to invite next time. Confirm with the room that the recorded items accurately reflect what was said. State the follow-up timeline for checking in on these voluntary tests.


## Debrief questions

- Which practice named today surprised you the most because someone is already doing it here?
- What is the simplest behavioral workaround we heard that anyone could try tomorrow without asking for extra budget?

**Finished output:** A documented flip chart list of existing frontline coping behaviors, operational barriers, named individuals or teams to involve next, and voluntary action commitments.

## Remote

Conduct via video call with all participants visible on camera. The recorder uses a shared digital whiteboard or document divided into three columns: Practices, Barriers, and Next Steps. The facilitator asks each prompt verbally and gives 60 seconds of silent typing into the chat or board before inviting verbal expansions.

## Hybrid

Position in-person participants in a semi-circle facing a central webcam and microphone. Place a dedicated remote monitor and the flip chart within camera view. Remote participants speak directly through room audio or type into the shared document, which the designated recorder monitors and mirrors onto the physical chart.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may pass on any question without explanation.
- Contributors may describe successful practices anonymously without naming specific colleagues.
- Written notes can be handed or messaged directly to the recorder instead of speaking aloud.

## If the session gets stuck

**The discussion turns into an extended complaint session about management or resources during Question 3.**

Acknowledge the barrier directly, ensure the recorder writes it down, and transition immediately to Question 4: 'Given that this barrier exists for everyone, who still manages to get it right anyway?'

**Nobody volunteers to take on any action items during Question 6.**

Accept the silence without assigning duties. Conclude the session by noting that the shared behaviors are documented for anyone who wants to try them quietly, and plan a short follow-up check-in.


## Terms used here

- Positive Deviant: A person whose uncommon but successful practices enable them to find better solutions to a problem than their peers, while facing the exact same constraints and resources.
- Butterfly Catcher: The Liberating Structures term for a dedicated recorder who listens for and captures fleeting, valuable insights and practices.

## Participant material: Discovery and Action Dialogue Questions

Core Questions for Discovery and Action Dialogue:

1. How do you know when [problem] is present?
2. How do you contribute to solving [problem]? What do you do to protect yourself and prevent it from affecting others?
3. What prevents you from doing this or taking these actions all the time?
4. Do you know anybody who is able to frequently solve [problem] and overcome these barriers? What behaviors or practices made their success possible?
5. Do you have any ideas?
6. What needs to be done to make it happen? Any volunteers?
7. Who else needs to be involved?

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in WorkshopBank, which attributes Discovery & Action Dialogue to Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith McCandless, and hospital coaches based on Jerry and Monique Sternin's Positive Deviance methodology.

Retained the seven core discovery questions, recorder role, and sequence from WorkshopBank and the Liberating Structures positive deviance framework. UWT added explicit step-level minute allocations totaling 45 minutes, clear remote and hybrid mechanics, access options, and concrete facilitator guardrails against assigning mandatory tasks.

[WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/discovery-action-dialogue)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/discovery-action-dialogue-workshopbank/