Information exchange
By using information exchange, participants provide each other information about a particular topic. At the beginning of a discussion, this interchange can occur, a workshop or a project as card inquiry, several flipcharts, and other written formats or an open forum. Everybody creates this way the best collective knowledge base. It is crucial to group the information into the following areas and to integrate similar statements. That way, the participants exchange objective facts (data), subjective proposition (opinions), and questions, obtain a shared understanding, and a joined evaluation of the existing information.
Information exchange divides into three areas: data, opinions, and questions.
- Data
Data consists of objectively comprehensive indications that can be examined anytime and is relatively undoubted. Such information can be reports (e.g., status reports, investigations, and publications), historical or planned dates (e.g., project history, meetings, milestones) as well as generally admitted facts (e.g., definitions, regulations, common knowledge).
- Opinions
Opinions cover all not objectively comprehensible statements, but they consider them valid and/or relevant. They cover estimations (e.g., personal evaluations, findings, and consequences), myths (e.g., cause-effects, prejudices, assumptions), and positions (e.g., opinions, assumptions, views).
- Questions
Questions are aspects that should be examined additionally (e.g., basic conditions, adjacent topics) that question the topic (open points) and/or express uncertainties of any kind (e.g., essential criticism, vague discomfort).
Externalizing the thoughts by all participants creates a common starting point at the beginning of a discussion. Everyone unveils the perspective of the other participants. In some cases, the point of view aligns with each other, and potential differences are eliminated in this early phase. This facilitates an emotionless alignment of the initial situation (information exchange) separated from the self-interest-driven debate.