"Start With the Ending" is the practice of beginning a meeting by saying exactly what success at end of the meeting will look like.
The tool helps with the audience's need for clarity about why you are in a meeting. This is even more important when you are not in the same room. You don’t ever want people leaving a meeting and asking themselves, “What was that for?”
As the meeting host, you want to be clear about the desired outcomes of the meeting, and you want to make that obvious to everyone involved. As a meeting participant, knowing the desired outcomes can help you decide if this meeting is important for you to attend.
The tool helps with the audience's need for clarity about why you are in a meeting. This is even more important when you are not in the same room. You don’t ever want people leaving a meeting and asking themselves, “What was that for?”
As the meeting host, you want to be clear about the desired outcomes of the meeting, and you want to make that obvious to everyone involved. As a meeting participant, knowing the desired outcomes can help you decide if this meeting is important for you to attend.
Three Scientific Ideas Behind This Tool
Goal Focus - the mind is limited and goal based. It attends to information that is relevant whatever is an active goal and even surpasses information not relevant. If you do not begin with a start with ending, then not everyone has the same goal, which means everyone in the room will be attending to information differently and not correctly.
Narrative - The mind processes in narrative. Start with the ending locates the audience in the story and the direction you are heading and what the causal structure of that narrative will be today.
Structure - Start with the ending fits people’s “need for structure” which is especially high when people are in novel or stressful environments.
Goal Focus - the mind is limited and goal based. It attends to information that is relevant whatever is an active goal and even surpasses information not relevant. If you do not begin with a start with ending, then not everyone has the same goal, which means everyone in the room will be attending to information differently and not correctly.
Narrative - The mind processes in narrative. Start with the ending locates the audience in the story and the direction you are heading and what the causal structure of that narrative will be today.
Structure - Start with the ending fits people’s “need for structure” which is especially high when people are in novel or stressful environments.
See Your Audience Technique
More Ways to See Your Audience (From Toolkit)
See more on this tool and others in the OYF's Distributed Work Toolkit.