25 Jul Lesson 6: Conducting Without a Score
Posted at 19:36h
in The Material of Teaching
Reference: Fellini’s Orchestra Rehearsal
Learning Objectives
- Practice invisible leadership: holding alignment without dominating.
- Sense and name tension in teams (time pressure, ego, fear).
- Design conditions for insight, not just activities.
Headline
“You’re not the soloist. You hold the tempo.”
Narrative & UX Interpretation
In Orchestra Rehearsal, chaos erupts when no one trusts the conductor—or the score. UX research often sits in the same tension: product wants speed, design wants validation, leadership wants certainty. The researcher’s task is to conduct presence, timing, and alignment—often quietly, often unseen.
Developing Critical Thinking
- Notice when you’re patching conflict vs. naming it.
- Build rituals of pause in fast teams: a silent read, a second look.
- Practice orchestration: Who needs to speak? Who hasn’t? What tempo is needed now?
- Reflect: When did I lead by holding space, not by speaking?
Anchor & Process Grounding
- Anchor: Stakeholder Management / Research Ops (NN/g).
- Grounding Move: For every project, draft a short Alignment Plan: roles, tensions, decision points, and a cadence for reflection. Revisit it mid-flight.