Andrew Annett and Susan Johnston presentation slides and handout from Agile 2013 (final, as presented)

1. Communication Katas
Deliberate Practices for Shared Understanding
Andrew Annett Susan Johnston
Agile 2013 – August 7 – Nashville
This file includes
the handout.

2. Individuals and
INTERACTIONS
over
processes and
tools
2
Agile Manifesto
Introduction

3. 3Introduction

4. Brooks’ Law
4
n * (n-1)
2
Introduction

5. 5
KATA:
A structured routine
that makes
skills and mindset
teachable
Introduction

6. 6Introduction

7. 7
S - Status
C - Certainty
A - Autonomy
R - Relatedness
F - Fairness
Kata 1
SCARF

8. 8
Your brain is
not your
friend
Kata #1 - SCARF

9. 9
S - Status
C - Certainty
A - Autonomy
R - Relatedness
F - Fairness
Kata 1
SCARF

10. 10
Kata 2
Thought Balloon

11. Thought balloon exercise demo
• Think of a conversation that
didn’t go so well.
• What were some unspoken
thoughts?
• What can we improve?
11Kata #2 – Thought Balloon

12. Get curious
not furious
12

13. 13
Kata 3
Ladder of
Misunderstanding
FACT Generally agreed
FANTASY
Myth or
story
FICTION Key details
altered
FACTION Personal spin

14. 14
AGREED UPON FACTS
FANTASY
FANTASY
FICTION
FACTION
FICTION
FACTION
WIDENING GAP IN UNDERSTANDING
Kata #3 – Ladder to Misunderstanding

15. 15
Kata 4
Conversation for
Commitment

16. Possible responses to a request
1. Yes
2. No
3. Postpone the decision
4. Request more information
5. Make a counteroffer
16Kata #4 – Commitment Conversation

17. Checklist for a reliable promise
1. Performer is capable of doing the task
2. Performer has the capacity to do it
3. Agreed meaning of “done”
4. Performer is sincere in promising
5. Performer is accountable for delivery
or ‘make good’
17Kata #4 – Commitment Conversation

18. 18Kata #5 – Empathy Map

19. 19
What does the person
THINK + FEEL?
What does the person
SEE?
What does the person
HEAR?
What does the person
SAY + DO?
GAIN?PAIN?
Kata 5
Empathy Map

20. Empathy exercise
• Think of someone with whom your
conversations are not successful
• Imagine yourself in their context
• Complete the sensory information on
the empathy map
• Insights?
• How will that change your
communication?
20Kata #5 – Empathy Map

21. The Communication Katas
1. SCARF
2. Thought Balloon
3. Ladder of Misunderstanding
4. Conversation for Commitment
5. Empathy Map
21

22. 22
Practise and
repeat
a new kata
Over time, this
changes
people’s
mindsets
Long term,
this can
change a
culture
Why?

23. References + Resources
Books
Articles
• Status and Self-esteem, David Rock
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-work/200910/status-more-accurate-
way-understanding-self-esteem
• SCARF, David Rock
http://www.your-brain-at-work.com/files/NLJ_SCARFUS.pdf
• Securing Reliable Promises, Hal McComber
http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/docs/securing-reliable-promises-on-
projects.pdf
• Digital Empathy Map http://uxempathy.com/2012/10/digital-empathy-map
23

24. Thanks
Andrew Annett
andrew@leanintuit.com
@akannett
Susan Johnston
sue@itsunderstood.com
@itsunderstood
24

25. Agile 2013 Andrew Annett + Susan Johnston 1
Communication Katas
Deliberate Practices for Shared Understanding
Kata: A structured routine that makes skills and mindset teachable
SCARF Thought
Balloon
Ladder of
Misunderstanding
Conversation for
Commitment
Empathy
Map
Miscommunication creates waste. Where have you seen evidence of this?
Kata 1 – SCARF
S - Status
C - Certainty
A - Autonomy
R - Relatedness
F – Fairness
How can you use SCARF to reduce stress in important conversations?
Kata 2 – Thought Balloon
Recognize the difference between your external dialogue and your internal
monologue.
Acknowledging what purpose you’re serving reduces your stress.
Get curious, not furious. Probe for people’s thinking. Challenge your own thinking.
Kata 3 – Ladder to Misunderstanding
To get back on track, when you or others have moved towards the top of the ladder,
return the focus to the facts
.

26. Agile 2013 Andrew Annett + Susan Johnston 2
Kata 4 – Conversation for Commitment
A promise involves two parties, the performer and the requester. Both must be fully involved in the
conversation.
Characteristics of a reliable promise
1. Performer is capable of doing the task
2. Performer has the capacity to do it
3. Both agree on the meaning of “done”
4. Performer is sincere in promising
5. Performer is accountable for delivery or make good
Possible responses to a request
1. Say Yes
2. Say No
3. Defer the commitment
4. Request more information
5. Make a counteroffer
Kata 5 – Empathy Map
Using the empathy map enables us to deliberately shift our perspective to the other person.
It’s a great planning tool for a conversation. As you practise with it, you can do it in real time.
Books
• Brain Rules, John Medina http://www.brainrules.net
• Gamestorming, Dave Gray et al http://www.gogamestorm.com
• Quiet Leadership, David Rock http://www.neuroleadership.com/global/home
• Talk To Me, Sue Johnston http://talktomebook.com
Articles
• Status and Self-esteem, David Rock
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-work/200910/status-more-accurate-way-
understanding-self-esteem
• SCARF, David Rock http://www.your-brain-at-work.com/files/NLJ_SCARFUS.pdf
• Securing Reliable Promises, Hal McComber
http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/docs/securing-reliable-promises-on-projects.pdf
• Digital Empathy Map http://uxempathy.com/2012/10/digital-empathy-map
Presenters
Andrew Annett is a facilitator and coach who
believes conversations are the operating system
of organizations. Andrew’s experience includes
working with teams and organizations to adopt
lean and agile methods of organizing work
despite his long history in serial delivery. He is
based in Waterloo, Ontario.
andrew@leanintuit.com
Susan Johnston, helps you talk so others listen
and listen so others talk. As a coach and trainer,
her focus is face-to-face communication.
Her skills in change management and teamwork
were built as an employee communication
specialist in Canada’s banking industry. She
lives and works in Waterloo, Ontario.
sue@itsunderstood.com

27. Agile 2013 Andrew Annett + Susan Johnston 1
Communication Katas
Deliberate Practices for Shared Understanding
Kata: A structured routine that makes skills and mindset teachable
SCARF Thought
Balloon
Ladder of
Misunderstanding
Conversation for
Commitment
Empathy
Map
Miscommunication creates waste. Where have you seen evidence of this?
Kata 1 – SCARF
S - Status
C - Certainty
A - Autonomy
R - Relatedness
F – Fairness
How can you use SCARF to reduce stress in important conversations?
Kata 2 – Thought Balloon
Recognize the difference between your external dialogue and your internal
monologue.
Acknowledging what purpose you’re serving reduces your stress.
Get curious, not furious. Probe for people’s thinking. Challenge your own thinking.
Kata 3 – Ladder to Misunderstanding
To get back on track, when you or others have moved towards the top of the ladder,
return the focus to the facts
.

28. Agile 2013 Andrew Annett + Susan Johnston 2
Kata 4 – Conversation for Commitment
A promise involves two parties, the performer and the requester. Both must be fully involved in the
conversation.
Characteristics of a reliable promise
1. Performer is capable of doing the task
2. Performer has the capacity to do it
3. Both agree on the meaning of “done”
4. Performer is sincere in promising
5. Performer is accountable for delivery or make good
Possible responses to a request
1. Say Yes
2. Say No
3. Defer the commitment
4. Request more information
5. Make a counteroffer
Kata 5 – Empathy Map
Using the empathy map enables us to deliberately shift our perspective to the other person.
It’s a great planning tool for a conversation. As you practise with it, you can do it in real time.
Books
• Brain Rules, John Medina http://www.brainrules.net
• Gamestorming, Dave Gray et al http://www.gogamestorm.com
• Quiet Leadership, David Rock http://www.neuroleadership.com/global/home
• Talk To Me, Sue Johnston http://talktomebook.com
Articles
• Status and Self-esteem, David Rock
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-work/200910/status-more-accurate-way-
understanding-self-esteem
• SCARF, David Rock http://www.your-brain-at-work.com/files/NLJ_SCARFUS.pdf
• Securing Reliable Promises, Hal McComber
http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/docs/securing-reliable-promises-on-projects.pdf
• Digital Empathy Map http://uxempathy.com/2012/10/digital-empathy-map
Presenters
Andrew Annett is a facilitator and coach who
believes conversations are the operating system
of organizations. Andrew’s experience includes
working with teams and organizations to adopt
lean and agile methods of organizing work
despite his long history in serial delivery. He is
based in Waterloo, Ontario.
andrew@leanintuit.com
Susan Johnston, helps you talk so others listen
and listen so others talk. As a coach and trainer,
her focus is face-to-face communication.
Her skills in change management and teamwork
were built as an employee communication
specialist in Canada’s banking industry. She
lives and works in Waterloo, Ontario.
sue@itsunderstood.com