Reframe Roulette — A Technique for Tackling the First Answer Trap
'Not So Fast' article series on how to challenge default answers
It’s time to continue with our techniques for tackling the First Answer Trap. If you haven’t read the first article in the series yet, you can take a moment and peruse that one for a bit on why our brain defaults to familiar and easy thoughts.
And if you missed the first technique, you can catch up on how to run the 3-Pass Approach before (or after!) you dive into this one.
People enter the room with many different types of biases (We’ve already talked about the Anchoring Bias in the first article!) One in particular that Reframe Roulette busts wide open is Confirmation Bias — when we stick to and trust information that supports what we already believe and ignore other stuff that challenges those beliefs. This unconscious bias happens often and is how people stay in their default thinking.
Reframe Roulette is one way for people to look at things through a different lens and change their perspectives, even if just for a short while. It helps us escape our biases.
How to Facilitate Reframe Roulette
This technique is an interruption of thinking that seems unmovable. Every spin reveals new ideas you weren't looking for. It forces you to look outside of that first answer.
Set Up: What You’ll Need to Prep
For this to work you’ll need to start with some input. A single shared problem, idea, or belief for reframing. You can...
Reframe a Default Answer From the Group — You can take answers from a previous session or start this one with a Default Answer Dump. The point is to get gut reactions and first answers through it rapid-fire. Then look for patterns and have the group vote on which one we want to look at with the Reframe Roulette.
Reframe the Original Challenge — This is a way to not just question the answer but to question the question. It requires deeper level of thinking and will need follow-up activity to answer the challenge in different ways.
Step 1: Start with the First Answer
Ok, you’ve gone with the first option to reframe a default answer. Drop it somewhere everyone can see it.
An initial challenge might follow a format something like this: ‘Why do we do X this way?’ And a default answer might begin with ‘Because…’
⚡️ Facilitator Tip: At this point you could talk a little bit about some of the biases like Confirmation Bias and what that is, to help people realize when they may be heading down that path, but keep it short!
Step 2: Spin the Wheel + Explain the New Frame
Now it’s time to spin that wheel! You can create a physical wheel for an in-person workshop, or use a virtual tool such as the new Spinner Widget in Miro (pictured below)
You can add whatever categories you like to your roulette. Here’s some you could start with. Once you land on one, explain the context to the group so they can respond to the prompt and then rewrite the default answer (in a future step) based on the new things they uncover.
Zoom In: Look closer. Focus on the little beliefs within this belief. Nudge a bit about what tiny moment or detail might shape this answer/belief.
Zoom Out: Step back. How is this part of a bigger story? Where does it fit into a bigger system?
Flip It: Turn it on it’s head. What if the opposite were true? Or, what if it’s completely wrong?
Another Universe: A different world. What would this look like or feel like in a completely different context?
Add Joy: Not just a check box. What if this didn’t weigh people down but instead lifted them up? What would it look like if people looked forward to this?
Speed It Up: Go to the extreme. What happens if extreme urgency takes over? If we had to act on this immediately, what would work better? what would break?
Slow It Down: Slow motion. What shows up if we don’t rush this? What if it had more space to breathe? What if it was more drawn out?
Step 3: Individual Reflections
Have people individually reflect on the reframe category. They can write down their thoughts digitally or on paper. That's up to you as the facilitator!
Step 4: Small Groups + Rewrites
Individuals bring their thoughts to the small group of 3-4 people. Make sure to allow enough time here for discussion and for the rewrite of the default answer.
Have each group prepare one rewrite of the default answer based on the reframe category. Each group will be working with the same reframe for this approach.
As the facilitator you can prompt: Now that you’ve explored the new reframe, take a moment to rewrite the original answer. The goal is not to fix it but to shift it. Imagine someone asking you again, Why do we do X this way? What new version would you respond with based on what you just discussed?
Step 5: Share Back
After each group has their rewrite, make it visible to the whole group. Spend some time as a larger group reflecting on the reframed default answers. As the group hears everyone's answers and sees the variety, remind them that the variety is what we want to see; they shouldn't all be the same!
Help the group to reflect by using questions like:
Which version do you now wish was the first answer?
What did you hear that surprised you?
[OPTIONAL] TO REPEAT OR NOT TO REPEAT!
Whether you repeat this activity with a different reframe or not depends. Don’t just repeat it to fill time, there should be a reason to do it again. You can pivot as needed based on how the room is feeling.
When to repeat.
The energy is high, and the group is asking for more
You want to compare reframes, for example, if you did Zoom In and want to compare to Zoom Out.
When to stop.
The group has already landed somewhere, and the momentum is clear.
Energy is dropping and a reframe would feel duplicative.
Play it Out With an Example
Sometimes it's hard to guide a session without having an example of it to understand where to prompt and what something might sound like.
🔥 A word of warning: Do not let examples hold you back, whatever comes out in the session comes out. I’m providing this here so you can have a frame of reference. Know the rules to break the rules 💪
Step 1: This was the initial question ➡️ Why do we do reports the way we currently do them?
And this was the default answer the group decided to move forward with ➡️ Because leadership wants visibility.
Now, prompt the group:
Let’s work with this answer: ‘Because leadership wants visibility.’ Ok that’s a fair answer, but let’s not take it as our only and last answer. What if this answer is limiting us? Ready to look at it from a different lens?
This answer is loaded with assumptions (like visibility only comes through reports), and using Reframe Roulette we hope to break those apart.
Step 2: We spin the wheel, and we get Add Joy.
We explain what this category actually is and start with some prompts. We also tailor the prompts to the specific default answer we are reframing. Ask the group to look at ‘because leadership wants visibility’ through the lens of joy.
Example prompts for this default answer might be:
What’s a version of this that people might enjoy participating in more?
If we used this answer as a starting point for designing something people would look forward to, what would that look like?
⚡️ Facilitator Tip: Don’t assume joy is either missing or needed here, instead just invite the group to explore.
Step 3: Each person on their own writes down their reflections based on the specific prompts, referring back to ‘because leadership wants visibility’
So a participant writes, ‘Right now, visibility comes through a written report, not exactly something to look forward to. But what if it looked more like a demo day every two weeks? Show and tell style for both visibility and connection.’
Then another writes, ‘What if visibility came from a monthly win wall where people post things they accomplished, big or small.’
Step 4: These reflections then get brought to the small group, and together, they rewrite the default answer to 'because leadership wants to see and celebrate what's working, and we want to be part of showing that off.'
⚡️ Facilitator Tip: Remind people it's not about finding the right answer. It's about shifting it based on what you explored through the lens of joy.
Step 5: Here’s an example of what a group might share with the larger group. After some reflection questions, we discussed how visibility usually feels like a chore. All reports, no reward. We liked the idea of somehow turning reports into recognition.’ so we turned that into a new answer ‘because leadership wants to see and celebrate what’s working, and we want to be part of showing that off.’
⚡️ Facilitator Tip: Ask people what shifted for them between the original answer and the rewrite. Sticking with this example, a group might say, 'The original felt like a task, a chore, something we do for leadership because they need it. We made it go from obligation to the shared celebration.'
Hopefully, this technique gives you a new way to approach default answers and try on different lenses, seeing things in different ways. I can’t wait to hear how you use this for your own collaborative sessions! 🙌
✨ Here’s to breaking routine, welcoming the weird, + workshopping with wonder. ✨