[IxDA Discuss] [IxDA-SF EVENT] Herding Cats and Taming Lions: Using Facilitation Skills to Create Better Design

[San Francisco IxDA]

Hello friends!

Our May event is actually dipping into the first part of June  
(Tuesday, 6/3), but we have a great one planned! Jon Litell of Hot  
Studio will be talking about facilitation and other underrepresented  
but vital “soft skills”. Adaptive Path will be our gracious hosts for  
the evening, and we’re planning another Hiring Salon (employers/ 
recruiters: bring job descriptions to share). Please RSVP on upcoming…  
we hope to see you there!

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/704477/?ps=6

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If only everyone would listen to me!
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt like the  
lone expert in the room, pitted against a gang of folks who saw things  
differently? Have you found yourself in a meeting fighting to be  
heard? Have you ever wondered, “Why does it seem like my job is to  
gather everyone’s opinions, instead of sharing my expertise in  
interaction design?”

But I don’t have time to get everyone’s input!
Or maybe you achieved a significant project milestone on an aggressive  
timeline, at the expense of your sanity or personal life. You felt  
rushed and went “heads down” to do it. You didn’t have time to get  
everyone’s opinions. Maybe you hit a wall at some point in the project  
and didn’t know where to turn for ideas or answers.

Wherever you are on that continuum – from getting frustrated with  
managing group communication or simply trying to go it alone — you can  
improve your ability to draw better solutions out of the entire  
project team. Stellar design skills aren’t enough. As an interaction  
designer, the success of your project is often determined by your  
ability to collaborate across interdisciplinary teams. This requires  
establishing strong collaborative working relations among people with  
very different mindsets, skills and points of view — people who may  
not even get along with each other. And so you find yourself  
increasingly playing the role of facilitator, rather than design  
authority.

What is a facilitator?
According to Interaction Associates (an originator of the discipline),  
a facilitator helps to:
• Keep discussions on track
• Use collaborative problem solving tools to make decisions more easily
• Leverage diverse points of view and communication styles
• Share ideas, responsibility, and success in a way that values  
everyone’s contribution
• Use win-win thinking to resolve conflicts

Jon Littell will give an overview of facilitation and other soft  
skills pertinent to today’s complex work environment, showing you how  
to lead your clients to fruitful discussions without getting lost in  
conflict. You will learn about the essential strategies and skills for  
helping groups solve problems, resolve conflict, and build agreement.  
You’ll also get resources and recommendations for the extensive  
toolset for facilitation.

•••••••

About Jon
Jon Littell has been working in the internet/interactive field for  
over a dozen years. As a director of user experience, his expertise  
lies in bringing coherence to complex information systems through a  
deep understanding of people, strategy, and design

Jon is a big-picture, strategic thinker and is especially adept at  
using research to generate breakthrough insights. Although Jon’s  
strong suit lies in the soft skills of communication and human  
excellence, he is comfortable and proficient with complex technology.

Jon holds a Masters degree in Behavioral Science and has extensive  
training in multiple psychological and process models. His obsessive  
need to see things clearly may explain why he has an ever-growing  
collection of eyeglasses.

•••••••

Schedule
6:30 pm – Socializing with light refreshments and Hiring Salon  
(employers/recruiters, bring job descriptions to share)
7:00 pm – Presentation

Presented by IxDA-SF and Adaptive Path. This is a FREE event.
http://www.sf.ixda.org