Interactive method

Reframe a two-sided question

A team is arguing about control versus autonomy. A third idea—apprenticeship, for example—might expose assumptions shared by both sides. Draft the three concepts and use the triangle to start that conversation.

Build a concept triad

Step 1 of 3 · Name the topic and first concept

Start with a familiar position in the discussion.

Your triads

No completed triads yet. Add three concepts or try the example.

Keep this discussion

Entries stay in this page only. Save a JSON file to keep completed triads and concepts already added to a draft; reloading loses unsaved changes.


The file is read in this browser. Nothing is uploaded by this tool.

Why introduce a third concept?

This sketch tool is inspired by Dave Snowden's “A trialectic method” (17 January 2021). He proposes starting with a familiar dichotomy and introducing a third element that makes the original division harder to sustain. The third element should provoke reconsideration, rather than simply split the difference.

How to use the cards

  1. Name the topic. Use a title that makes sense to the people discussing it.
  2. Enter two familiar positions. They may look opposed, or may conceal a shared assumption.
  3. Choose a third concept. Ask what makes both positions less certain. The third vertex is green to mark its role in this exercise, not to label it the best answer.
  4. Discuss the relationships. What does each concept make possible? When might it help or hinder? Rename a concept and compare how the question changes.
  5. Repeat if useful. Keep several titled triads rather than forcing every discussion into one triangle.

For the example, central control and local autonomy can sound like the only choices. Apprenticeship introduces learning, trust and relationships: a prompt to question how authority and capability develop. This is a made-up workshop example, not a claim about how every team should work.

What the picture does—and leaves out

The triangle keeps three concepts visible. Equal spacing and connecting lines do not measure strength, causation or preference. This tool does not score options or infer new relationships.

Snowden's proposed exercise also asks participants to position things within triads and inspect the resulting patterns. This builder only drafts the concepts; it does not collect those positions or implement SenseMaker. The explanation is an invitation to explore assumptions, not evidence that adding a third word resolves conflict or produces better decisions.

When the question is clearer, compare explicit options with the weighted decision matrix, while keeping the assumptions behind its criteria visible.

Edit triad