THINKING ABOUT MEETINGS
We believe the world works better when people meet better. That’s why we share the things we’ve learned, the methods we’ve discovered, and the mistakes we’ve made.
Check back here soon, as we’ll be posting videos, more articles, and a selection of downloadable tools for you to use.
The Decision Diary: A Simple Tool for BETTER Decisions
Most teams make decisions all the time. They just don't remember making them. A Team Decision Diary fixes this by creating collective clarity and real accountability.
Most teams make decisions all the time. They just don't remember making them.
Important choices get buried in email threads, scattered across meeting notes, or made in hallway conversations that nobody else heard. A month later, someone asks "wait, didn't we already decide this?" and the whole discussion starts over.
A Decision Diary fixes this. It's a shared, running log of what your team has decided, what's still in progress, and what you're planning to tackle next. Nothing fancy. Just clarity.
Here's how to build one:
Document Key Team Decisions: Start by recording the major decisions your team has made recently. What were the considerations? Who was involved? What was the outcome? This retrospective helps your team learn from past decisions and highlights what worked and what didn't.
Track Ongoing and Pending Decisions: Make a habit of documenting decisions that are still in progress. Which ones are in the pipeline? What needs attention? A clear log of ongoing decisions keeps your team proactive and prevents bottlenecks before they form.
Encourage Collaboration and Input: Share the diary and invite input from everyone. Diverse viewpoints lead to better decisions, and an open process fosters shared accountability. When people see their input reflected in team decisions, engagement follows.
Create a Decision Wish List: Use a wish list to capture decisions your team might tackle in the future: new initiatives, long-term challenges, and unexplored directions. This keeps strategic thinking alive between planning cycles and ensures good ideas don't get lost.
Reflect and Adjust Regularly: Build reflection into your team's rhythm. Review decisions together, celebrate wins, and identify areas for improvement. This practice keeps your decision-making processes sharp and reinforces continuous learning.
A Team Decision Diary isn't just about tracking what's been done. It's about building collective clarity, making informed decisions faster, and aligning everyone toward the same goals. When the whole team is engaged in the process, you handle complex challenges better, avoid unnecessary delays, and create real accountability.
Last Updated: July 4, 2026
The Fortune Teller
Most icebreakers are forgettable. In this one, partners take turns as fortune teller and curious four-year-old, and strangers connect fast.
'The Fortune Teller and the Four-Year-Old' is a distinctive yet simple activity, offering a refreshing departure from traditional icebreaker exercises. It’s designed to create immediate connections between individuals who may not be well-acquainted.
Here’s how it unfolds:
Start by dividing the attendees into pairs. One participant in each pair assumes the intriguing role of the 'Fortune Teller', while the other adopts the curiosity of a 'Four-Year-Old'.
The Four-Year-Old's mission is to ask the Fortune Teller questions about their imagined future, such as "What will I be when I grow up?" or "Who will I marry?".
Instead of providing fictitious predictions, the Fortune Teller responds with stories taken from their own history. For instance, in answering "What will I be when I grow up?" the Fortune Teller might share, "You’ll grow up to be an accountant in a bustling firm in Chicago." This response, disguised as a prediction, is a sharing of the Fortune Teller's own life lessons and experiences.
To delve deeper, the Four-Year-Old is then encouraged to ask further questions about the Fortune Teller's narrative, adding depth to the conversation before moving on to their next query.
After dedicating about 15-30 minutes to this engaging exercise, the pairs switch roles, allowing everyone to gain insights from both perspectives.
This seemingly simple exercise is a minimal investment of time that yields substantial dividends, including stronger team bonds, improved communication, and a heightened sense of empathy among team members.
Moreover, it encourages participants to reflect upon their own life journeys, fostering greater self-awareness and understanding toward others.
So the next time you find yourself in a gathering with individuals you're keen to connect with on a deeper level, try out this fortune-telling exercise. It could be the key to establishing faster, more effective connections and meetings.
Last Updated July 3, 2026