The devil’s advocate is a dialogue exercise designed to train tolerance for professional disagreement. In this simple version, it’s well suited to open up an open and constructive conversation within a team. 

The term “devil’s advocate” originally referred to an unofficial position in the Catholic Church, where the official’s task during canonization processes was to present arguments and evidence as to why a candidate should not be declared a saint.

In other words, the devil’s advocate argued against canonization. Figuratively, the term now refers to someone who raises critical objections, negative viewpoints, or skeptical predictions.

The exercise itself is simple and involves rotating this role within the group. Before starting a meeting or a new agenda item, decide who will act as the devil’s advocate. You can also simply let the role rotate from person to person. Make sure to agree that the devil’s advocate can “pass on” the role at any time to someone else in the group.

For added engagement, you can use a small devil figure—whether printed, purchased, or crafted—to physically move around as the role changes. If finding a toy devil is tricky, consider making one from red modeling clay.