Techniques
Agreements
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | any number | Communication | ||
| minutes | people |
When to use
This sets a tone and expectations near the start of a meeting. It helps the participants know what the boundaries of the meeting are, and what behaviours are acceptable.
What you need
It is best to have each agreement on a card and to go through them near the start of the meeting. These are in the Coach Toolkit.
How to do this
Decide which agreements are appropriate for your participants and meeting. Explain them clearly and simply near the start of the meeting.
You can also ask participants if there are any agreements they would like to add.
How we’ve used this
We change these depending on the type meeting we’re running. Over time you will learn more techniques and so this list will keep evolving.
Here are some of the cards we have:
- Take Care: Take care of your own needs. You don’t need to ask permission to go to the bathroom, or to get coffee.
- Cellphones: Keep your phones on silent please. If you need to take a call, just leave the room. We’d rather you were paying attention than worrying because your boss/wife/child is calling.
- Right to Pass: You have the right to pass in any activity or exercise we do. Just sit to the side and observe.
- Workbooks: These are yours to keep. Please take notes. We will let you know when we are doing specific exercises in the books.
- Timeboxing: We give a specific end time for each break. We will start at that time whether you are back or not. It’s up to you to choose to be on time or not.
Who shared this with us
Various people over the years, many from Sharon Bowman. We came up with the concept of using cards to remember all of the things we wanted to say.
Appreciations
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | any number | Courage | ||
| minutes | people | Collaboration |
When to use
To build a culture of appreciation within a team and make the team members feel valued. Helps with collaboration amongst team members.
What you need
Nothing
How to do this
In any meeting introduce this technique by saying you would like to provide a space for people to recognise and appreciate anyone who has helped them recently. Ask people to try to give personal appreciations to individuals rather than to the whole team.
Take the lead and give an example by appreciating someone, e.g. “John, I’d like to appreciate you for the courage you showed in today’s session by voicing your doubts about the new process.”
Then be quiet. If this is the first time the group does this, it may take some time for the first person to speak. Just hold the silence, someone will speak. Remember to allow about a minute of silence before closing this session as some people take longer to speak than others.
How we’ve used this
- We have also asked participants to write down an appreciation, and pass it to that person. These are in the Coach Toolkit.
- Start with a ball of string and say an appreciation, throw the ball to the person you appreciated, but keep holding the end. They now give an appreciation and throw the string to that person. At the end you can see a web of how everyone is interconnected and collaborate together.
Who shared this with us
Esther Derby and Diana Larsen.
Ball Toss
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 - 25 | Movement | ||
| minutes | people | Feedback |
When to use
A good way to close a meeting with some movement, and to give people an opportunity to share their thoughts and give you some feedback.
What you need
A soft ball.
How to do this
Ask people to stand up and form a circle. If you have the space to do this away from tables then do so, but if not create a circle around the tables.
Explain that the ball is the speaking token. Then explain that you will pose a question for them to answer. If they would like to answer, they should signal to the person with the ball and they will gently toss it to them. They can then answer the question you posed.
Remind people that once they have answered they should look for someone else signalling that they want the ball. Often people get flustered and just throw the ball when they are done answering. Ask people a question about the meeting. Its a good idea to make this a one or two word answer to avoid any lengthly answers. For example: What is one thing that surprised you in this meeting?
Wait for someone to ask for the ball, then gently toss it to them. Once the ball stops moving for a while, you can signal for the ball again, and close the meeting by thanking people for their time.
How we’ve used this
- Use this to close the day on a one-day training course, by asking people to share one word that best describes the day for them.
- Use this to close retrospectives by asking people what their hope is for the next sprint.