The Principle of Altitude

The Principle of Altitude sets up conversations to be at the right level of detail. At the top of a flipchart, draw objects you’d find in the sky, like a plane, clouds, and a hot air balloon. In the middle of the flipchart, draw hills and mountains. And at the bottom, draw grass and weeds. Ask, “What would be some examples of topics that are at too high a level for the conversation we’re about to have?” Record their responses in the sky. Ask, “What are some examples of topics that are too in the weeds?” Record responses in the grass. Finally, ask, “What topics do we need to cover for this conversation to be successful?” Record those in the space between the words in the sky and the weeds. It’s OK to recap the outcomes here. Put all responsibility for coming up with examples of topics on the participants. Throughout the facilitation, empower participants to ask, “Is this topic at the right altitude,” whenever they sense the conversation is veering too high or low.

You can watch our short video about the Principle of Altitude here