Ms. Zolfa Hamed Yousef Gamal ElDin – Lightning Decision Jam

About the Writer

My name is Zolfa Hamed Yousef Gamal ElDin, and I work as a professional instructional designer. I have always believed that learning and leaving impact are among the best things that distinguish us as humans, and I was often asked to share concepts and tools with colleagues through workshops. However, there was an obstacle preventing me from fully achieving this, as I always felt worried when asked to do so, not out of fear of the learning material itself, but out of concern about how to facilitate the sessions for participants in an easy, engaging, and attractive way. It wasn’t until I experienced FIRST-ADLX Framework that I felt a significant difference. I realized that facilitation wasn’t as difficult as I had thought, and I felt that with each facilitation experience, my performance improved more and more. I also felt more confident and capable than before. I learned how to prepare myself and get ready before the sessions, what to focus on, how to capture attention, and when and how to intervene. I learned many things that have impacted me not only at the facilitation level but also at the instructional design level.

Design and Facilitation Process: Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)

We often face a problem as a team when we want to hold a meeting to generate creative ideas or solve specific issues. In most cases, these meetings turn into long and exhausting sessions where we get lost and fall into the trap of conducting aimless and disorganized discussions. Ultimately, the meeting time is wasted, and we don’t reach the desired solutions. So, when I heard about the Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) method, which aims to replace all disorganized and open discussions with a clear and structured process, I decided to design an Active Deep Learner eXperience and  facilitate this method so that we benefit from  it in our meetings, applying everything I learned within FIRST-ADLX Framework in the design and facilitation process.

I designed this learning journey in the form of sequential activities conducted on the Miro platform to ensure the engagement of all participants and guarantee the practical application of what they learned, as well as to break the monotony of remote training.

Learning Journey Title: Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)

Type: Remote Learning

Duration: Two hours, including a short break

Platforms Used: Zoom, Miro

Implementing the Domains of FIRST-ADLX Framework

1- Focusing on the Learner Behaviors

Before the Session:

– First: I opened a communication channel with all participants by creating a WhatsApp group. I asked each participant to introduce himself/herself,  field of work, and the most significant challenges he/she faces in work. I welcomed each one of them and added emojis to their posts. I also clarified to everyone that if any participant needed anything, they should not hesitate to contact me directly.

– Second: I ensured that everyone had knowledge of the (Miro) program. I asked those who did not have prior knowledge of it to contact me for assistance in overcoming obstacles and using the program. Then, I sent the link we would use for the training on Miro an hour before the training, to allow them to join before the start of the session and avoid any errors. I also followed up with each individual participant to ensure their readiness.

– At the Beginning of the Session:

I welcomed all participants, making sure to smile and be approachable, and I introduced myself. I conducted an icebreaker activity called “Two Truths and a Lie” to break the ice and the feeling of discomfort that some participants experience at the beginning of a session, and to get to know each other better. I encouraged the learners to participate, greeted them, and clapped for them after each contribution, showing respect, empathy, and understanding for all their input. I also conducted an activity where we all participated in setting the session rules that we must adhere to, emphasizing two basic rules: respecting others and their participation, and respecting the privacy of others. I also asked the participants to mention the most significant challenge or problem they faced in their field of work and how each one of them solved it. We all greeted and clapped for each speaker, and they were happy to talk about their personal achievements and to be appreciated for their contributions.

– During the session:

I tried to address each person by his/her name (and I asked each person to clearly write his/her title and name upon entering the session), focus on everyone equally, observe those who were not participating, encourage every participant to participate, listen attentively, thank them for their contributions, comment on their responses, relate them to their experiences and field of work, and affirm their participation by mentioning their names. I asked everyone to turn on their cameras to have visual contact so that we could all see each other’s facial expressions and interact based on that. I conducted dialogues between myself and the participants, and participated in individual and group discussions, reinforcing and affirming certain opinions.

2-Interacting within Positive Group Dynamics Domain

I tried to do many things to apply this domain, including:

• I provided a safe environment where everyone participates safely, comfortably, and without fear or hesitation.
• I modelled clear rules regarding interactions, respecting others, accepting different opinions, respecting the experiences of others, and learning from them.
• I varied the activities between individual, pair, and group activities, which kept everyone in a constant state of attention, engagement, and continuous interaction.
• I varied not only the type of activities but also their nature and energy level.
• I identified the strengths and weaknesses of each participant and distributed roles within the session based on that (whoever is mindful of time became responsible for not exceeding the time limit for each task – and whoever is mindful of organization became responsible for ensuring that all individuals completed the tasks on Miro in the designated place, in an organized manner, and in the correct way).
• I encouraged participants to exchange ideas and motivated them to encourage their colleagues and give them positive constructive feedback.
• I followed up on the work of the groups to ensure that the interaction between them proceeded in the best possible way.

3- Reviewing Activities within RAR Model

One of the most important things I learned from FIRST-ADLX Framework is the model of (RAR), and how the journey can be incredibly creative simply through a set of (R)s designed precisely, correctly, seamlessly, and diversely. This is what I tried to do in this session in order to transform the approach from “pushing”, where I explain information, to “pulling” where a set of activities are designed and facilitated so that the participants themselves share knowledge, skills, attitudes and create their learner experience. These activities have their own characteristics; they are diverse and different in their nature, intensity, and level, so the participant becomes like someone going through a journey consisting of more than one station, each station having its own mystery and excitement.

Readiness Increase:

Before starting the activity facilitation stage, I took some measures to increase the participants’ readiness and willingness to accept the activity and benefit from it as much as possible, such as: preparing and motivating the learners to do the activity, completely ensuring the clarity of the instructions and that each learner understands these instructions, and carrying out all the necessary preparations for the safe and effective implementation of the activity.

Activity Facilitation:

During the implementation of the activity, I organized the time precisely and maintained the completion of the activity on time, helped and participated with everyone during their implementation of the activity, monitored the progress of the activity’s implementation and ensured the participation of everyone in the implementation, and tried to give them the confidence to participate without fear or hesitation, and I motivated and encouraged them to finish the activity.

Reviewing Actively:

After the activity facilitation was completed, I thanked all the participants, greeted them, and clapped for them. Then, after that, I pulled the summary, explanation, and revision for what took place in the activity. Then, I encouraged them to share their thoughts, feelings, reflections, and comments on the activity, and I pulled the meaning, ideas, and lessons learned from the participants themselves while building on their participation. Then, I invited them to think about how to apply that in their future lives.

4- Sequencing Activities within the Session Flow

From my point of view, this domain is one of the most important domains of FIRST -ADLX Framework as it serves as the organizer and guide throughout the learning journey. In this domain, the activities we designed previously transform from separate activities with no connection to each other into interconnected and sequential activities. In short, it arranges the activities we created in the previous domain smoothly and seamlessly, while modifying and adding activities to capture the learner’s attention and ensure their motivation and engagement are maintained throughout. The learner’s state in this domain acts as the primary controller of the learning journey’s progression. Moreover, what is noteworthy in this domain is that its application is not limited to a single learning session but also encompasses the whole journey.

To achieve this domain, I considered the variety of activities, including opening and energizing activities, learning activities, linking and summarizing activities, and a closing activity. This variety not only includes the type of activities but also the diversity in their energy levels. I learned from FIRST to be flexible and adapt according to the learners’ status; it is the primary guide for the learning journey… I also additionally designed many energizing activities with varied energy levels and set them aside in case their use was required to change the learners’ status and engage them in the learning journey, and so that none of them would feel bored through the learning journey.

The table below shows the first set of activities I conducted in the first part of the session:

5- Transforming Learner into Performance

The learning journey focused primarily on the participants’ professional lives, and everything in the journey was linked to their work. At the end of the session, I asked the participants to apply LDJ in their professional field or even in their personal lives and to share the results of their experience with us, as well as how using this method impacted their problem-solving skills.

And in conclusion, I would like to thank the large FIRST family for what they have provided us and what they have helped us to experience… Thank you very much.