The "What? So What? Now What?" reflective model is a well-used and successful model to assist in designing reflection activities. It was created by Terry Borton as a group facilitation technique in the 1970s before it was popularized as a reflective tool for clinical healthcare. The model involves three stages:
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What?: This stage involves identifying what the situation is, looking at the event, experience, project, or situation without judgment or pre-conceived ideas.
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So What?: This stage involves analyzing, sense-making, and drawing insights from the event. Participants consider the broader implications of the experience and apply learning.
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Now What?: This stage involves applying the lessons learned for effective next steps. Participants identify ways to improve, refine, and otherwise strengthen their skills.
The "What? So What? Now What?" model can be used in group sessions, for project retrospectives, as part of training interventions, coaching and mentoring conversations, and even as a communication or storytelling framework to structure reports and presentations. It can also be used for critical reflection sessions through a crisis management situation where you need to define and frame the problem, analyze the impact, and then consider the possible actions to address the issue. The model is useful when facilitating reflection of an activity, but it can also be put to good use when reflecting on an experience in the past.
