Who is this TED person, and what on earth does he have to do with refinement?

Well, for one thing, TED is a model rather than a person! By combining it with the concept of open questions, you have an easy and effective way to go deeper into topics. It works well with individuals and groups.

TED stands for Tell, Explain, Describe. Combining these prompts with open questions can be used to unearth assumptions, different perspectives, hidden details and a whole lot more. Ideal for refining stories!

Here is some example uses:

Tell me what you're most worried about going wrong with this feature.

Explain what part of the stack we need to change to implement this feature.

Describe what the outcome will be for the customer if we solve this problem.

Give them a try and let me know how you get on!