Operating LogicA system for problem solving.

1.2
Discussion

"Give voice to the lived experiences of others." 
— Dr. Elysa Roberts






If desk research gives you the lay of the land, discussion gives you the texture. Because dialogue allows assumptions, contradictions, and deeper assumptions to surface. It’s where you stop reading about a problem and start hearing how it feels, how it frustrates, how it moves the people living inside it.

In the context of structured problem-solving, discussions aren’t just "interviews." They’re designed collisions  to reveal nuances you could never find from behind a screen.







How to approach discussionDiscussion is a live, unfolding collaboration between you and the person you’re speaking with.

At its best, discussion reveals the emotions beneath the facts, the contradictions inside the stories, the truths that want to be said but aren’t yet safe enough to surface.

Your job is to create a space where something real can emerge — something vulnerable, surprising, and useful. That means building trust early. It means listening not just to what’s said, but to what’s implied. It means reading the emotional currents of the conversation — sensing when to dig, when to soften, when to stay silent just a few seconds longer.

Discussion research demands patience, sensitivity, and the humility to let the conversation lead you somewhere you didn’t expect. If you do it well, you’ll reveal better questions. 

Here’s how to approach it.



I. Make an allyBegin every conversation by establishing connection. Share a little bit of yourself — something honest, something offbeat, something human. It sets the tone: this isn’t an interrogation. It’s a real conversation. Then, be explicit about your gratitude and your purpose: "I’m here because your perspective is critical. I want to learn from you." People are far more willing to share when they feel seen, not extracted.



II. Consumer (human story)Shift your view outward, toward the other humans the subject serves (or hopes to serve). This is where you move into real, lived behavior. You’re looking for emotional drivers, everyday tensions, unspoken desires. The human factors that data alone can't reveal.

  • How do these people live, work, socialize, dream?
  • What tensions or trade-offs define their lives right now?
  • What do they genuinely value? What do they reject or resist?
  • How do they talk about their needs, frustrations, hopes?
  • What language do they use naturally?
  • Where are the gaps between what they say and what they do?




II. Reveal personal assessmentsGet beyond the obvious quickly. Uncover the speaker’s personal truth: the assessments, frustrations, aspirations that live underneath the polished talk track. Make it clear you’re not looking for the "official" version of events. You’re seeking their lived reality and you’ll protect their candor.



III. Ask the questions you can't in the Big RoomThere are questions people won’t answer in group settings. In private, one-on-one conversation, you can carefully and respectfully go there. Asking things like: "What’s really holding this back?" "What do people here believe that maybe isn’t true anymore?” "If you could change one thing without consequence, what would it be?" Handle their answers with care. Tensions, frustrations, and hidden constraints are clues, not accusations.



IV. Unlock their expertiseTreat every participant as a vault of valuable experience. Invite them to share the hard-won lessons, hunches, patterns, and pain points they’ve seen. This is where you get the rare opportunity to building an understanding of how their world really works, through the eyes of those living in it.



Designing a discussionGood discussions won’t happen by accident. They happen because you built just enough structure to guide the conversation, without choking the life out of it.

A simple discussion guide helps. It’s not a script. It’s a map. It gives you a rough path forward, while leaving space for unexpected turns. It’s the structure that invites the freedom.

When preparing your questions, design for stories, not statements. Ask open-ended questions that invite memories, experiences, and emotions — not just opinions. And most importantly: Plan to be surprised. 

The best insights often live just beyond the edge of your guide, in the stories you didn’t think to ask about, but had the presence to notice.




Simple format to followMinutes 0–5: Arrivals and introductions. Build comfort.

Minutes 5–20: Light topics like their background, context, easy wins.

Minutes 20–40: Heavier topics like tensions, frustrations, hopes, challenges.

Minutes 40–55: Closing on reflections, future aspirations, advice.

Minutes 55–60: Thank them. Leave space for anything they didn’t get to say.




Discussion mindsetEvery conversation you host is a chance to surface something unexpected. But only if you approach it the right way. 

Bring curiosity, not confirmation. You’re here to discover what you don’t yet know, not to validate your assumptions.

Bring patience, not pressure. Insights lurk just beneath an awkward pause. Let silence stretch a little longer than feels comfortable. That’s often where honesty starts to emerge.

Bring openness, not control. Your discussion guide is a map, not a mandate. If a conversation veers into unexpected territory, follow it. Sometimes the best paths aren’t on the planned route.

Hold this mindset and you’ll collect the truths that solutions are built upon.

Discussions are a chance to see the world through another person’s eyes. When you listen well, you collect texture. You collect the raw material that will make your eventual strategy feel human, relevant, and real.

In the next section, we’ll leave the desk and the meeting room entirely, heading out for expedition, where real-world immersion sharpens your instincts even further.
By Garrett HerzikPreviousNext