In a group conversation, choose to be the person who connects other people’s ideas. Say things like: “That builds on what Sarah said earlier — what if we combined them?”
i2 Insights: Skill Categories
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Make Space, Not Noise
In your next meeting, try speaking 30% less than usual. Use that space to actively listen. After the meeting, ask yourself: did the conversation go better or worse?
Sharpen Before You Ask
Before your next conversation, write down the one question you most want answered. Rewrite it twice — making it more specific each time. Ask the third version.
Ask “Says Who?”
Pick one “rule” your team follows that nobody has questioned in a while. Ask: “What if the opposite were true?” See where the conversation goes.
Seek Out the Different Voice
Identify someone on your team whose background or thinking style is very different from yours. Ask for their honest opinion on something you’re working on. Don’t filter — just absorb.
Test Before You Build
Take the newest idea on your plate. Write down the one thing that must be true for it to work. Now design the smallest, fastest way to check whether it’s actually true.
Let Your Idea Be Wrong
Share an early-stage idea and explicitly invite criticism. Say: “I’d love to hear what’s weak about this.” Notice how much easier it is to improve an idea when you’re not defending it.
Design a Small Experiment
Pick one assumption you’re making about your users, customers, or audience. Write down what data would prove it wrong. Now figure out how to get that data this week.
Treat It Like a Hypothesis
Reframe your best idea as a hypothesis: “We believe that [X] will result in [Y] for [Z].” Does it still feel as certain when you write it that way?
Follow the Surprise
Review recent feedback, data, or results. Find one thing that surprised you — and instead of explaining it away, spend 15 minutes exploring why it happened.