Keeping "Agreements" in the Forefront Key to Collaborative Success
A powerful collaborative team can have some initial fun writing Agreements. Teams that embrace collaboration and strive to push one another to add value to impactful conversation typically like the Agreement writing process. Recently, I had a group that embraced one National School Reform Faculty suggestion to have one agreement be "2B4ME." While this may look like a clever personalized license plate, it was this group's fun way to remind themselves to let at least two people speak after they have spoken before speaking again. Groups that can be clever in writing Agreements like this one are having a little fun!
That said, no matter how much fun the Agreement writing process is in the first place, finding a way to keep those Agreements on the forefront of everyone's mind - without being repetitive in doing so - can be a challenge...so I hope you will try the following ideas:
1. Challenge Participants to Share their Agreement Successes and Challenges
If the facilitator asks each member of the collaborative team to share an Agreement that he or she has been most successful in living up to, the short time that it takes to do this requires participants to first consider each agreement, and then to appreciate the efforts of one's self. Similarly, I can ask participants to reveal which Agreement they, as individuals, are most actively working on. While this requires some honesty and humility, it can be even more powerful.
When I facilitate this activity, I sometimes ask the participants to say only the Agreement that has been successful or challenging, with no explanation. Other times, I encourage participants to explain their reasoning. Either way, I place a small "tally" or "dot" next to the Agreements that are shared. If we are sharing our successes, our team can celebrate what is going well, but we can also encourage one another to be mindful of those Agreements with fewer tallies or dots. Likewise, when I place marks next to the Agreements that have been challenging, we can use the activity as an opportunity to support one another, mindful of the Agreements that are toughest to practice.
Either way, this activity requires participants to wrap their minds around the team's Agreements in a way that is much more powerful than simply reading the list or placing it on an agenda. If you take this approach, I hope you will build up to having participants talk about their weaknesses. The first time you review Agreements, stick with the successes, then build to revealing challenges without explanation before revealing challenges with an explanation. Be cognizant of your team and its readiness to be open and honest about their Agreement efforts.
2. Challenge Participants to Recognize the Agreement Successes of Others
One of the most uplifting experiences that can happen with Agreements is being recognized by a colleague for meeting or exceeding the expectations of those Agreements. Sometimes, I like to begin meetings by having the team recognize an Agreement that they have seen the "person to their left" or "the person to their right" successful in implementing. Again, sometimes I have the group simply participate in a round of sharing only the Agreement. However, with this activity, it is much more powerful to have participants share "why" they believe this person has been successful in living up to this Agreement. I have been amazed at the memories of my participants when we have done this activity. They really do pay attention to the contributions of their colleagues, and this process helps team members to feel seen, and for their contributions to feel noticed.
This activity may also be done by having team members draw a name of another group member from a hat or by publishing a rotation of which group member will be a person's "Agreement Buddy" for a given meeting.
No matter how you do it, remember that these Agreements are important to your team's success, but it is equally important to find ways to keep these Agreements relevant...and doing so can positively contribute to your team's climate!
That said, no matter how much fun the Agreement writing process is in the first place, finding a way to keep those Agreements on the forefront of everyone's mind - without being repetitive in doing so - can be a challenge...so I hope you will try the following ideas:
1. Challenge Participants to Share their Agreement Successes and Challenges
If the facilitator asks each member of the collaborative team to share an Agreement that he or she has been most successful in living up to, the short time that it takes to do this requires participants to first consider each agreement, and then to appreciate the efforts of one's self. Similarly, I can ask participants to reveal which Agreement they, as individuals, are most actively working on. While this requires some honesty and humility, it can be even more powerful.
When I facilitate this activity, I sometimes ask the participants to say only the Agreement that has been successful or challenging, with no explanation. Other times, I encourage participants to explain their reasoning. Either way, I place a small "tally" or "dot" next to the Agreements that are shared. If we are sharing our successes, our team can celebrate what is going well, but we can also encourage one another to be mindful of those Agreements with fewer tallies or dots. Likewise, when I place marks next to the Agreements that have been challenging, we can use the activity as an opportunity to support one another, mindful of the Agreements that are toughest to practice.
Either way, this activity requires participants to wrap their minds around the team's Agreements in a way that is much more powerful than simply reading the list or placing it on an agenda. If you take this approach, I hope you will build up to having participants talk about their weaknesses. The first time you review Agreements, stick with the successes, then build to revealing challenges without explanation before revealing challenges with an explanation. Be cognizant of your team and its readiness to be open and honest about their Agreement efforts.
2. Challenge Participants to Recognize the Agreement Successes of Others
One of the most uplifting experiences that can happen with Agreements is being recognized by a colleague for meeting or exceeding the expectations of those Agreements. Sometimes, I like to begin meetings by having the team recognize an Agreement that they have seen the "person to their left" or "the person to their right" successful in implementing. Again, sometimes I have the group simply participate in a round of sharing only the Agreement. However, with this activity, it is much more powerful to have participants share "why" they believe this person has been successful in living up to this Agreement. I have been amazed at the memories of my participants when we have done this activity. They really do pay attention to the contributions of their colleagues, and this process helps team members to feel seen, and for their contributions to feel noticed.
This activity may also be done by having team members draw a name of another group member from a hat or by publishing a rotation of which group member will be a person's "Agreement Buddy" for a given meeting.
No matter how you do it, remember that these Agreements are important to your team's success, but it is equally important to find ways to keep these Agreements relevant...and doing so can positively contribute to your team's climate!
Comments
Post a Comment