I champion ritual dissent, the process that calls on stakeholders to tell you all the tough things you need to hear so that your idea gets stronger.
For people doing it for the first time, it can be excruciating. You present your idea, turn around position yourself as a fly on the wall. Invite the group to give you all of their negative feedback. Hearing the critiques as if you weren't in the room at all.
The trouble is, in the room, you want to turn around and face your accusers and defend your ideas. Especially when you hear a critique that pierces your armour. But, you are not meant to engage, your role is to listen. It may not be what you want to hear but it is what you need to hear.
This is exactly why virtual ritual dissent is a windfall for hearing tough feedback.
1. To preserve the fly on the wall intent, turn off your camera.
2. To resist the itch of defending your idea, mute your microphone.
These two effortless tweaks will ensure you get the sort of feedback you need from a ritual dissent.
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