When have have had a conversation about a certain topic take the time to break the topic down into the four elements listed below:
- purpose/goal/intent. What is the purpose of the subject/topic we are talking about? What are we, or is it, trying to reach?
- challenge. What are the main challenge faced by the topic? What are the main issues that we need to address to be able to reach the expressed goal/intent?
- opportunity. What opportunities can we think about related to this topic. Could there be a secondary (positive) possibility that could be created if we reach the goal/intent?
- concrete next steps. What are the concrete next steps we can agree on (right now) that we will take to move forward towards the purpose/goal/intent?