Problem Reframing Sessions

10 minutes into training 40 Fortune 500 execs… I realized I was losing the room. They were nodding politely. But the energy was flat like my TV In a blink, I checked out like they were thinking: ‘We’ve heard this before’ So I stopped mid-sentence. 3 2 1…took a breath, and asked: “How many of you leave tough conversations feeling like you said everything except what you actually wanted to say?” 32 hands went up. Silence That’s when I knew: This wasn’t a “teach” moment. It was a pivot moment. So I scrapped the slide deck And showed them something real: The 4R Framework A tool to turn conversation anxiety into clear, confident communication: 1. RECOGNIZE: Notice the signals Tight chest→racing thoughts→dry mouth Your body’s talking. What is it trying to tell you? 2. REFRAME: Shift the story From: This is happening to me To: This is happening for me How is this conversation helping me grow? 3. RESPOND: Choose your words with intention That’s not fair→ Can we look at this another way? You’re wrong→ Can I share a different perspective? What response would I be proud of tomorrow? 4. REFLECT: Extract the learning Not: That went terribly But: What did that teach me? How can I show up better next time? The shift was immediate. By the end of the session: ✅ 3 people had mapped out tough conversations they’d been avoiding ✅ 2 managers committed to changing how they deliver feedback ✅ 1 leader finally decided to have “the talk” with an underperforming team member That’s the power of clarity under pressure. 📍(Sometimes the first step into corporate feels bigger than graduation itself. I’ve been working on something that will make that step lighter for you. Stay tuned!) P.S. Which “R” gave you the biggest breakthrough? #CorporateTraining #Leadership #CommunicationSkills #EmotionalIntelligence #ManagementTips #LinkedInLearning #ExecutiveCoaching

“Why are you doing this?” vs. “How can this move us forward?” One shuts people down. The other sparks progress. A few months ago, I sat in on a tense team meeting. A deadline had been missed, and frustration filled the room. The manager, arms crossed, looked directly at one team member and asked, “Why are you doing this?” Silence. One looked down, scrambling for an answer. Others shifted uncomfortably. The energy in the room had shifted—from problem-solving to blame. I’ve seen this happen countless times. When conflict arises, our instinct is to question, defend, or assign blame. But what if, instead of shutting the conversation down, we opened it up? Now imagine if the manager had asked instead: “How can doing this progress us forward?” The impact is immediate. This simple shift in words changes the energy from defensive to constructive, from looking at the past to focusing on the future. Conflict isn’t the problem, it's how we approach it. Teams that handle conflict well don’t avoid it—they reframe it. They shift from blame to solutions, from frustration to collaboration. This approach is backed by research—high-performing teams aren’t the ones with zero conflict, but the ones that use conflict to drive clarity, alignment, and better decisions. Try this the next time conflict arises: 1️⃣ Pause before reacting – ask yourself: am I looking for blame or a way forward? 2️⃣ Reframe the question – instead of “Why are you doing this?” try “How can we solve this together?” 3️⃣ Turn conflict into clarity – use tension as a signal that something needs adjusting—not a reason to divide. This is part of the COMBThrough series, where we help teams untangle real challenges and turn them into opportunities for collaboration, agility, and performance. So, the next time frustration builds in your team, ask: Are we stuck in the problem, or are we working toward the solution? Would love to hear—how does your team handle tough conversations? ********************************************************************************* Hi! I’m Cassandra Nadira. I help teams unlock their potential to increase performance with proven tools and practices. 🚀 Let’s elevate your team: ✅ Workshops & Trainings – Build self-awareness and leadership agility ✅ Custom Programs – Enhance team dynamics and performance ✅ Speaking Engagements – Inspire with actionable insights 📩 Message me to explore how we can work together! #team #humanresources #workforce #challenges #leadership #learn #development #cassandracoach

I'm a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Over 50% of teens drop out of therapy before completing treatment. Most parents bring their teenagers to me frustrated: "They won't talk. They sit there with their arms crossed. They say nothing's wrong." The parents assume their teen is being defiant or stubborn. They're usually wrong. Here's what I actually tell these teenagers and reframes our visit: 1/ I validate their perspective first ↳ "You didn't choose to be here, did you?" ↳ "Tell me what you think about this whole situation" ↳ "What would have to be different for this to feel worth your time?" ↳ Their resistance often melts when they feel heard 2/ I acknowledge their developmental reality ↳ At 16, you're wired to question adult authority ↳ Saying "I don't need help" is actually developmentally appropriate ↳ I tell them: "Your job is to figure out who you are, not who we want you to be" ↳ Resistance isn't pathology—it's development 3/ I give them control over the process ↳ "What would you want to work on, if anything?" ↳ "How would you know if this was actually helping?" ↳ Teenagers engage when they have agency ↳ Autonomy is more important than compliance 4/ I reframe therapy as skill-building, not fixing ↳ "I'm not here to fix you. You're not broken" ↳ "Think of this like learning to drive. Optional skills that might be useful" ↳ This removes the stigma and shame ↳ Skills are empowering; treatment feels disempowering 5/ I address what they actually care about ↳ Social anxiety, relationship drama, academic pressure, identity questions ↳ Their problems are real, even if they seem minor to adults ↳ Meeting them where they are, not where we think they should be What I don't do: I don't lecture them about the importance of mental health. I don't side with their parents against them. I don't pathologize normal teenage development. Most "resistant" teenagers aren't resistant to growth. They're resistant to being controlled. When we respect their autonomy and meet their developmental needs, engagement follows naturally. The teens who initially sat with arms crossed become the most engaged patients. Not because I convinced them they needed therapy. Because I showed them therapy could serve their goals, not just their parents' goals. --------------------------- ⁉️ Parents: What's been your experience with teenagers and therapy? What worked or didn't work in getting your teen engaged? ♻️ Repost if you believe respecting teen autonomy improves mental health outcomes 👉 Follow me for more like this (Eric Arzubi, MD).

Ever shared an idea… and got silence? Then someone else repeats it—and gets nods. The mistake? Starting with the problem. Because problem-first doesn’t sound smart. It sounds like complaining. That’s why your ideas don’t land. Here’s how to reframe them so people actually listen. 5 Swaps That Turn Complaints Into Ideas: ❌ “This process is broken.” ✅ “This slows us down 2 hrs a week—what if we tried X?” ❌ “No one follows the system.” ✅ “What if we simplify steps 2+3 so adoption goes up?” ❌ “Leadership never communicates.” ✅ “What if we had a 5-min Friday recap? It could boost alignment.” ❌ “I don’t like this tool.” ✅ “I think we could improve response time with [tool option].” ❌ “This is a bad idea.” ✅ “Here’s a risk I see—should we pressure-test this path first?” Action Plan (Try it Tomorrow): • Don’t start with the problem → start with the fix • Anchor to impact → time, money, morale • Offer a next step → even small shows ownership • Pick timing wisely → right room, right audience • Close with confidence → “this saves us” > “just an idea” Your Plug-and-Play Template: “I’ve noticed [problem]. The impact is [time/money/risk lost]. If we [solution], the benefit is [specific gain].” Example: “I’ve noticed handoffs between teams cause delays. The impact is late launches. If we add a 10-min sync, we’ll ship 2x faster and cut errors in half.” 🔑 Bottom line: Your ideas aren’t the problem. It’s how you frame them. Frame them right—and people hear a leader, not a complainer. 👉 Which swap will you try in your next meeting?

The Power of the Problem Statement: Why Framing Matters The problem statement dictates whether your audience—executives, cross-functional teams, or decision-makers—sees the customer friction(s) as critical or dismisses it as just another CX initiative. How you frame the problem has a direct impact on whether it gets prioritized. This isn’t just about describing what’s wrong; it’s about creating a narrative that ties the problem to what the business values most: revenue, cost efficiency, competitive advantage, or strategic growth. Why Framing the Problem Correctly Matters - 1/ It Defines the Stakes A well-framed problem statement makes it impossible to ignore the issue. It connects customer pain to business risks, such as revenue loss, increased costs, or reputational damage. 2/ It Aligns to Strategic Priorities A problem that doesn’t align with company goals will never get prioritized. By framing the issue in terms of strategic objectives—like growing revenue, reducing costs, or improving operational efficiency—you ensure it gets attention. Key Question for CX Pros: What are the top 3-5 strategic goals our CEO or leadership team discusses in internal meetings? How does this problem impact those goals? 3/ It Creates Urgency A strong problem statement emphasizes why the issue is escalating and what the business risks by delaying action. Without urgency, even well-framed problems can be deprioritized. Key Question for CX Pros: What’s getting worse if we don’t act now? How will this impact the business in the next quarter, year, or longer? How to Write a Prioritizable Problem Statement 1/ Start with Frequency and Reach Specify how often the issue occurs and how many customers or employees are impacted. Key Question: How widespread is this problem, and how often does it happen? 2/ Quantify the Impact Include measurable costs, such as revenue loss, increased expenses, or churn. Key Question: What is the financial or operational cost of this issue to the business? 3. Tie It to a Strategic Goal Explain how the problem impacts a key business objective, such as revenue growth, efficiency, or market competitiveness. Key Question: What company-wide goal is this problem jeopardizing? 4. Show the Escalating Risks Highlight why the problem is worsening and what the business risks by not addressing it. Key Question: What happens if we don’t fix this now? See 👇 examples for strong / weak problem framing statements.

🧠 “How We Brainstorm And Choose UX Ideas” (+ Miro template) (https://lnkd.in/eN32hH2x), a practical guide by Booking.com on how to run a rapid UX ideation session with silent brainstorming and “How Might We” (HMW) statements — by clustering data points into themes, reframing each theme and then prioritizing impactful ideas. Shared by Evan Karageorgos, Tori Holmes, Alexandre Benitah. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 Booking.com UX Ideation Template (Miro) https://lnkd.in/eipdgPuC (password: bookingcom) 🚫 Ideas shouldn’t come from assumptions but UX research. ✅ Study past research and conduct a new study if needed. ✅ Cluster data in user needs, business goals, competitive insights. ✅ Best ideas emerge at the intersections of these 3 pillars. ✅ Cluster all data points into themes, prioritize with colors. ✅ Reframe each theme as a “How Might We” (HMW) statement. ✅ Start with the problems (or insights) you’ve uncovered. ✅ Focus on the desired outcomes, rather than symptoms. ✅ Collect and group ideas by relevance for every theme. ✅ Prioritize and visualize ideas with visuals and storytelling. Many brainstorming sessions are an avalanche of unstructured ideas, based on hunches and assumptions. Just like in design work we need constraints to be intentional in our decisions, we need at least some structure to mold realistic and viable ideas. I absolutely love the idea of frame the perspective through the lens of ideation clusters: user needs, business problems and insights. Reframing emerging themes as “How-Might-We”-statements is a neat way to help teams focus on a specific problem at hand and a desired outcome. A simple but very helpful approach — without too much rigidity but just enough structure to generate, prioritize and eventually visualize effective ideas with the entire team. Invite non-designers in the sessions as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised how much value a 2h session might deliver. Useful resources: The Rules of Productive Brainstorming, by Slava Shestopalov https://lnkd.in/eyYZjAz3 On “How Might We” Questions, by Maria Rosala, NN/g https://lnkd.in/ejDnmsRr Ideation for Everyday Design Challenges, by Aurora Harley, NN/g https://lnkd.in/emGtnMyy Brainstorming Exercises for Introverts, by Allison Press https://lnkd.in/eta6YsFJ How To Run Successful Product Design Workshops, by Gustavs Cirulis, Cindy Chang https://lnkd.in/eMtX-xwD Useful Miro Templates For UX Designers, by yours truly https://lnkd.in/eQVxM_Nq #ux #design

Stuck in a rut? Does coming up with a good idea feel like picking something to watch on Netflix? (every choice is mediocre, you end up arguing/scrolling for 2 hours) I have a few ‘good ideas’ to help. Here are 4 brainstorming techniques for UX problems. 💡 🧠 The HMW Reframing Method Start with a challenge—users aren't completing sign-up. Now, reframe it as a How Might We question—how might we make sign-up irresistibly easy? This simple switch kickstarts solution-oriented thinking.  Pro tip: Generate multiple HMWs for each problem to explore different angles. 🧠 The Intersection matrix Create a grid with user needs on one axis and random objects or concepts on the other. For example, "Quick checkout" meets "Rollercoaster." How could the thrill and speed of a rollercoaster inform your checkout process? It's weird, agreed. But you never know, you might end up with unexpected brilliance. 🧠 Reverse brainstorming Flip the script. Instead of asking "How do we improve user engagement?", ask "How could we completely destroy and annihilate user engagement?" List all the terrible ideas, then reverse them. It's a fun way to identify pain points and generate solutions you might have overlooked. 🧠 The 5 Whys You know this classic. Basically, become a toddler. Start with a problem statement and ask "Why?" five times. Each answer becomes the basis for the next "Why?" This helps you dig deeper and uncover root causes. For example: - Users aren't using the new feature. Why? - They don't know it exists. Why? - We haven't promoted it effectively. Why? - Our notification system is broken. Why? - It wasn't properly tested before launch. Why? - We rushed the development process. Boom. Now you know where to focus your problem-solving efforts. It also helps to begin ideation with the ‘hair on fire’ problem. Here’s how. https://bit.ly/4dHyjWl Let’s do opposites. What’s a brainstorming exercise you hate, and why do you think it doesn’t work? Looking to find some interesting answers in the comments! 🥸

Is your team stuck in the “Insanity Loop”? Doing the same things, in the same way, and expecting different results. It’s more common than you think - even in high-performing teams. Here are 3 subtle signs the loop might be at play: 1. Everyone’s busy, but progress is patchy There’s constant movement, but not meaningful momentum. Activity doesn’t always equal advancement. 2. The same problems keep resurfacing You’ve had the meeting. You’ve agreed on the actions. But somehow, here it is again - the same issue, slightly repackaged. 3. Training has happened, but transformation hasn’t People know what to do, but behaviour hasn’t shifted. New ways of working are not happening. A favourite Go M.A.D. technique that leaders and teams can use to break out of the insanity loop is The 20 Answer Technique. It’s one of the fastest ways to unlock new thinking, fresh ideas, and a clear path forward. Here’s how it works… Turn a problem into a possibility-based question - then answer it 20 different ways. Do this in 4 simple steps: 1.  Write down the problem as a statement e.g. “We’re not hitting our targets.” 2.  Reframe it into a solution-focused question. Start with: “What could I possibly…?” “How could I possibly…?” “Who could I possibly…?” Or, for a team, “How could we possibly improve our performance this month?” 3. Write 20 different answers – fast Do this in one go, without judging or analysing responses. Quantity matters more than quality at this stage. 4. Review your answers Highlight next steps. Often, one or two golden ideas will jump out. Here’s a bonus tip: Use this before or during meetings – turn agenda items into questions and ask attendees to submit or bring 20 answers. Apply this anytime a problem persists for longer than 48 hours – redefine it as a question and list 20 possibilities as quickly as you can. What breakthrough have you had using solution-focused questions? Let me know. #Leadership #ThinkingDifferently #TeamPerformance #ProblemSolving #SolutionFocused #OrganisationalEffectiveness

I got called out for micromanaging. And… they weren’t wrong. But the fix wasn’t “step back.” It was “get clear.” We didn’t need more check-ins, we needed shared context. So we paused and asked 4 questions. It changed how we run every project. Before your next kickoff, try this 20-minute reframe: 1. Vision – What exact problem are we solving? 2. Explore – Has this been solved before, or do we need to invent something? 3. Galvanize – Are we truly set up to succeed? Do we need help, input, and/or buy-in? 4. Achieve – Can we move fast and iterate, or do we need gates and/or guardrails? One meeting. Four questions. If Q4’s already slipping, grab the wheel. These four questions get you back in control. Want to put it into practice? Check out the linked article.   For a quick one-page VEGA guide you can use with your team, comment "tomo" and we'll DM you a copy 😊 https://lnkd.in/gcyu_6jc #LeadershipDevelopment #AIForLeaders #PeopleStrategy #ManagementMatters

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱) One of my coaching clients is a leader in a highly competitive field where advancement to leadership positions requires passing written tests as part of the selection process. His CV is stellar, showcasing years of impactful accomplishments and experience. Yet, as a non-native English speaker, he viewed the challenge of crafting concise, articulate answers under time pressure as a significant barrier to his next promotion. Today, during our coaching session, we worked on reframing this challenge—and the results were profound. Instead of seeing the test as a potential obstacle to advancement, we discussed how it could be an opportunity to strategically showcase his expertise. The key? Shifting the focus from the fear of “getting stuck” on tricky questions to leveraging preparation techniques that build confidence. By viewing the test as a skill he could systematically develop—not an inherent limitation—he was able to: 1️⃣ Recognize that his years of experience already equip him with rich insights and solutions. 2️⃣ Reframe timed writing as a learnable format rather than a reflection of his capabilities. 3️⃣ Break the challenge into smaller, actionable steps: practicing concise writing, simulating test conditions, and reviewing strategies for clarity and speed. This mindset shift turned a daunting task into an achievable goal. The truth is, how we think about our challenges often dictates how we approach them. When we: ✅ See problems as puzzles, not roadblocks, we naturally become solution-oriented. ✅ Shift our focus from fear to preparation, we increase both confidence and effectiveness. ✅ Take small, consistent steps, what once felt overwhelming starts to feel manageable. Reframing challenges isn’t just about finding solutions—it’s about restoring belief in our ability to rise to the occasion. If you’re feeling stuck in the face of a challenge, ask yourself: How can I view this from a different angle? What’s one step I can take today to move forward? The answers might surprise you—and they could be the spark that turns doubt into progress. #Leadership #Coaching #GrowthMindset #ProfessionalDevelopment