Blackwell-Leach Method
This facilitation method for Interdisciplinary Design Workshops was created by Alan Blackwell and James Leach together with contributions from other team members (Marilyn Strathern, Samuelle Carlson, Elena Rockhill) as a component within the project Social Property and New Social Forms.
It has since been used in many Crucible projects.
The process by which it was developed, and the method itself, is described in full in this report. http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-664.html
In the form of an Alexandrian 'Pattern Language', it can be summarised as follows:
1. Select 12-15 participants, mixing disciplines and seniority. 2. Hold a preparatory meeting at client premises. 3. Host a college dinner and provide local accommodation. 4. Listen to all participants’ desired outcomes, record and display them. 5. Exhibit and engage with the material product of the client’s work. 6. Open discussion in order to identify proposed questions. 7. During a break, individuals mark their preferred questions. 8. Consider the most preferred questions in turn.
See also the Comparative expert practice method for workshop facilitation.
