Method guide · Progress through phases
Counterexample Minute
Check where a proposal would not work and record the conditions needed before using it.
- People
- 4–20
- Base procedure time
- 30 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Make a decision; Explore through dialogue.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
A decision method that takes just one minute after a proposal to find a concrete situation where it would not work. Use it when objections resurface later, deference to the proposer prevents concerns from emerging, or the same proposal is being extended to settings with different conditions. Without rejecting the proposal, each person writes just one situation where it would not apply. Everyone, including the proposer, uses counterexamples to add necessary preconditions, making it less likely that looking for weaknesses turns into evaluating the person. The result is a decision record pairing the proposal selected with conditions where it does not apply. Do not use the method where danger has already arisen and an immediate stop decision is needed.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Present the proposal0–4 minutes from the start (4 minutes)
Action: Place. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Find counterexamples4–11 minutes from the start (7 minutes)
Action: Find. Participation: Everyone.
Individual record
- Add conditions11–18 minutes from the start (7 minutes)
Action: Add. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
- Distinguish where it applies18–24 minutes from the start (6 minutes)
Action: Separate. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
- Choose the next step24–30 minutes from the start (6 minutes)
Action: Choose. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 4 minutes, display the proposal in one sentence and tell everyone: ‘We are checking the conditions for use, not the proposer.’
- For 7 minutes, the group and proposer take turns speaking while each person writes a situation where the proposal would not work on one card.
- For 7 minutes, the proposer receives counterexamples one at a time and rewrites them as preconditions for adopting the proposal.
- For 6 minutes, distinguish settings that meet the conditions from those that do not, and attach each as one row in a proposal ledger with preconditions.
- For 6 minutes, choose one proposal to try now, decide the first precondition to check, and assign one person to it.
If something changes
If
Two minutes into counterexample writing, at least half of all cards still contain the same content.
Then
Differentiate the counterexamples by adding who is involved, in what situation, and what happens.
If
During the time for adding conditions, people other than the proposer have spoken fewer than 3 times.
Then
Have the proposer remain silent for 2 minutes while others write one condition each first.
If
After distinguishing where the proposal applies, the hold column contains more items than the proposal column.
Then
Choose just one setting where a small trial is possible in the coming week and close the rest as a decision record.
Preparation
Materials
- Proposal cards (1 per proposal, approximately A5)
- Counterexample cards (4 per person, approximately A6)
- Dark-coloured pens (1 per person)
- One display surface for proposals and conditions
Room and setup
- One semicircle of chairs where everyone can see the proposal card
- One display surface for attaching counterexample cards by proposal
Adjust for people and time
With fewer than 4 participants, counterexamples have less variety, so each person writes one card for each of 2 role-based situations. Up to 20 participants, allow one minute of whole-group writing per proposal. Above 20, divide into groups of no more than 5, with each group handling only one proposal. Each group shares just one row with everyone: the proposal, the most important counterexample, and the conditions for adoption.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Check the proposal's conditions of use, not the proposer's character. Do not use the method where danger has already arisen and an immediate stop decision is needed.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- The guide and scaling specify one minute of counterexample writing, while the phase and timed step allocate 7 minutes to alternating speech and writing. The source does not specify where the one-minute writing interval falls within that phase. Both statements are retained without inventing an additional schedule.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Taiwa no Fumen editorial team: Counterexample Minute
Original description and illustrations
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.