Say something deliberately unreasonable, then use it as a stepping stone to an idea that works.
Most thinking moves by judgment: we reject ideas that seem wrong and keep the ones that seem sensible. That's a good way to choose, but a poor way to discover. A provocation is a statement you know is unreasonable, such as “Po: the parking meter pays the driver”, made on purpose to jolt thinking off its usual track.
The word “Po” in front signals that the statement is not a proposal. Nobody has to defend it or attack it. Instead, the group asks a different question: not “Is this right?” but “Where can this take us?” You use the provocation as a stepping stone, pull out the principle hidden inside it, and then land on an idea that is practical.
The skill has two halves. Making a strong provocation takes a little nerve. Moving forward from it, instead of dismissing it, takes practice.
Use it when a group keeps proposing small variations on what already exists, everyone agrees too quickly, or you suspect an unquestioned rule is holding the whole situation in place.
Spot a given, make a deliberately unreasonable “Po” statement, use it as a stepping stone, then land a practical idea.
Choose a part of the diagram or a tab to explore each step.
What does everyone assume must be true about this situation?
What statement would turn one of those givens upside down?
Where could this lead if you treat it as a stepping stone instead of a proposal?
What workable idea can you keep from where the movement took you?
Provocation looks like a party trick. It's actually a disciplined way around the habits that keep thinking on its usual track.
Normally a strange idea is shot down within seconds. Labeling it “Po” tells everyone the statement is not up for judgment. That small signal buys a few minutes to explore before anyone decides what it's worth.
Most situations rest on assumptions so familiar that nobody sees them anymore. A provocation removes or reverses one of them on purpose, so you can see what the situation looks like without it.
A provocation is never the answer. It's a place to stand that logic alone couldn't reach. From there you can often see a sensible idea that was invisible from where you started.
Many good ideas look obvious once they exist, yet nobody reached them by small logical steps from the old way of doing things. Provocation is a deliberate way to make that kind of jump instead of waiting for luck.
Choose one specific situation, like “parking downtown on Saturdays”. Provocation works best on something concrete that has clear habits and rules.
Write down the “of course” assumptions: who pays, who does what, in what order, at what time. These givens are the raw material for provocations.
Pick one given and escape it, reverse it, exaggerate it, distort it or replace it with a wish. Say it out loud with “Po” in front. It should feel unreasonable. If it doesn't, push further.
Treat the Po as a stepping stone. What principle is inside it? How is it different from today? If it were true, what would happen, moment by moment? Note every idea that turns up.
Carry the useful part back to reality and shape it into something you could pilot. Then pick another given, make another provocation and go again.
A whiteboard with three columns (Givens, Po statements, Ideas), a timer and a group willing to play for 20 minutes. With AI, all you need is the prompt below.
Subject: a small city's annual budget hearings. Goal: hear from more residents, especially renters and young families. Constraint: the formal public hearing is required by law and must still happen.
Po: there is no meeting. Principle: the budget goes to residents. Idea: budget pop-ups at the farmers market and a branch library.
Po: residents present the budget to the council. Idea: neighborhood groups each get ten minutes to present their top priority, and the council responds.
Po: the hearing lasts all year. Idea: one short budget question a month by text and on the city website, so input builds up before the hearing.
Po: we vote before we discuss. Idea: open each session with a live poll, then spend the discussion on the items where opinion is most split.
Po: every resident decides how one dollar is spent. Idea: a small participatory budgeting pilot for part of next year's parks money.
The strongest ideas shared one principle: take the budget to residents instead of asking residents to come to the city.
Two budget pop-ups, at the Saturday farmers market and a branch library, each with a five-minute “spend the dollars” board. The formal hearing stayed, and staff opened it by reporting what the pop-ups had heard.
Saying something truly unreasonable in front of colleagues takes nerve, and an AI has no reputation to lose. It can produce bold provocations of every type in seconds. The harder half is movement: finding the stepping stone inside an absurd statement. Do that together, with you leading and the AI adding angles.
Ask AI to list the assumptions so familiar you've stopped seeing them.
List 12 things everyone takes for granted about our city's budget hearings. Be specific.
Get one provocation of each type, then choose the one that unsettles you most.
For the given 'residents come to us', write one Po each by escape, reversal, exaggeration, distortion and wish.
Have AI pull ideas out of a provocation without judging it.
Po: residents present the budget to the council. Name 3 principles hidden in it, then one idea for each.
Imagine the provocation really happening, step by step, and watch for useful moments.
Walk me through a budget season in which 'there is no meeting' is true. Flag every moment that suggests an idea.
Describe your situation, pick a mode, then copy the prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot. In coach mode the AI helps you surface the givens, make a “Po” statement and move forward from it, one step at a time.
The “Open in” links put the prompt in the web address. If your challenge includes anything sensitive, copy and paste instead.
After the session, click one to copy it, then paste it into the same chat.