Stinky Fish Canvas

When to use Stinky Fish Canvas

Use this method when a team is experiencing underlying tensions, resistance to change, or a lack of alignment. It's particularly useful during transitions like a new strategy or leadership change.

What it solves

Unspoken tensions and resentments festering within a team, hindering collaboration and productivity.

How to run Stinky Fish Canvas, step by step

1. Introduce the Stinky Fish Canvas and its purpose. Emphasize the importance of candor and psychological safety. (5 min)
2. Distribute the canvas (physical or digital) to each participant and provide sticky notes/digital equivalents. (2 min)
3. Individually, participants fill out the canvas, identifying issues in each of the four categories: silent problems, unknowns, anxieties, and fears. (15 min)
4. Participants share their individual canvases with the group, one at a time. (20 min)
5. Facilitate a discussion to identify commonalities, tensions, and contradictions. (15 min)
6. Prioritize the key issues using dot voting (each participant gets three votes). (10 min)
7. Decide on next steps: brainstorm solutions or schedule a follow-up session. (5 min)

Materials needed

• Stinky Fish Canvas (printed or digital)
• Sticky notes
• Markers
• Dot stickers (optional)
• Collaborative whiteboard (for remote sessions)

Facilitator tips

• Warm up the audience with icebreaker activities to build trust before diving into the exercise.
• Consider using the 1-2-4-All approach to gradually expand the conversation and encourage participation.
• Remind the team of the importance of speaking up and addressing issues proactively.

Common pitfalls

• Participants may be hesitant to share sensitive information if they don't feel safe. Establish clear ground rules and emphasize confidentiality.
• The session can turn into a venting session without a clear focus on problem-solving. Keep the discussion constructive and action-oriented.

Variations

• Use different categories on the canvas to suit the specific context.
• Break the larger team into smaller groups (duos or triads) for initial sharing before bringing everyone together.

Running it online or hybrid

Use a collaborative whiteboard tool like Mural or Miro. Pre-populate the board with digital sticky notes to streamline the process. Encourage participants to share screenshots to ensure timely completion and facilitate sharing.

What it produces

A shared understanding of the team's 'stinky fish' and a prioritized list of issues to address.

Origin

Created by Gustavo Razzetti, Fearless Culture — source

Build a session around Stinky Fish Canvas

METODIC places Stinky Fish Canvas inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.

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