The Interaction Method™

Read here about the collaborative Method we employ, the Experience you can expect, and the Effect our work has had on thousands of leaders and teams.

 

The Interaction Method™

"Once you try it, you’ll never go back to meeting the way you did before!"  

What is The Interaction Method
It’s a collaborative process for working together. More specifically, The Interaction Methodis a facilitated approach for building understanding and agreement so that people can take informed, concerted action on what that matter most to them.

It started with the idea of a group facilitator.
In 1969, David Straus founded Interaction Associates. An architect by training, David observed that problem-solving meetings were quite ineffective – mostly because people didn’t distinguish between process and content. David suggested that there are four key meeting functions: participation, decision making, process management, and information. Why not assign responsibility for each function to a person – participant, leader, facilitator, and recorder? Collaborating with others, David also popularized the use of a Group Memory – posting butcher paper on a wall and writing down everyone’s ideas with markers.

The use of The Interaction Method™ grew and grew. 
By 1990, we had introduced the concept of the group facilitator into hundreds of companies. (The word facilitator even leap-frogged the word trainer at group learning events.) We asked our clients – what does The Interaction Method mean to you? They cited dozens of models, skills, techniques, strategies, and illustrative stories. We organized them into four categories.

At the heart of The Interaction Method™ is the principle of Shared Responsibility. 
Shared responsibility means that everyone involved in the group process performs a useful function – from the practical task of documenting ideas and agreements to generating group energy.

The spirit of The Interaction Method™ is a Collaborative Attitude.
The more people who come to a meeting ready to work with others — and to aim for a win-win outcome — the greater the likelihood that the group will achieve its goals. 

The mental mode of The Interaction Method is Strategic Thinking
People like goals, order, and to see a path to completion. Clear, common sense frameworks and processes help us organize our thoughts and opinions. Collaborative tools help us transform data into information, understand our choices, and make decisions together.

The hands of The Interaction Method™ are the Facilitative Behaviors.
These are the practical tools and positive actions that people use and demonstrate to forward the progress of the group – from active listening, to advocating for our ideas, to creating consensus and reconciling differences.

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The Interaction Experience

"Wow! What just happened here?"
We create a safe place for people to learn. Everyone pitches in to create a successful experience for themselves and others.

Workshop leaders practice what they teach (and preach).
They model collaborative behaviors as they guide the group through the learning journey. Having graduated from the school of hard knocks, they’ll tell a story or two about when they screwed up – so you don’t have to. They are also funny, skillful, and approachable. 

There’s lots of variety. Participants stay active and engaged. “We had a blast!"
Every program has a winning combination of group process design, relevant content, challenging exercises, videos, games, stories, and masterful facilitation. The program leaders provide specific and insightful feedback. 

Shift happens. Things look clearer. Life feels brighter. 
Each participant advances to their next level of proficiency. They have many aha moments, times when concept and experience stick together to form a positive, indelible memory. Graduates are more confident, capable and primed to practice and perform. 

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The Interaction Effect

My oh my! We really nailed it. 

In a nutshell, what is The Interaction Effect?
Certain ingredients, working together, catalyze a group's creative energy. Those ingredients are: Alignment of purpose and direction. Committed players. Shared, collaborative intelligence. This mix of qualities sparks creativity. Inspires initiative. Generates momentum. A key factor in producing The Interaction Effect is the support and guidance of a capable, facilitative leader and/or group facilitator.

Teams get focused and productive real quickly. Team members have skin in the game.
For example, a team launch facilitated by Interaction Associates is a strenuous business workout. It’s also inclusive, engaging, creative, and fun. The team defines its purpose and goals. People make commitments to each other. Leaders assemble resources for taking collaborative action. Along the way, group members learn better ways to collaborate. The process generates enthusiasm and a sense of possibility pervades the room. 

IA Consultants are process thinkers and masterful group facilitators. 
Turning the spark into a flame, Interaction Associates' consultants guide teamwork in a strategic and consciously collaborative way. They suggest clear path for action and agendas for high-stakes meetings. Taking their cue from brain science, our consultants lead sessions that are safe, orderly, concrete, positive, future-oriented.  

Team members share responsibility for success.   
Group members share responsibility for keeping the process moving along. It’s a virtuous cycle: Inspiration. Focus. Collaborative Action. Positive Outcomes. Appreciation. Team members feel a greater sense of aliveness and a stronger connection with their company, colleagues, and customers.

 

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