Author: Bill Gjetson is a consultant and coach specializing in leadership development for Senior Leaders, Managers, and High Potential employees. His areas of interest are action learning and storytelling.
Objective(s): Use this activity to initiate a trust-building dialogue in a group or team
How the author has used this exercise: I have used this activity in the initial stages of group formation to highlight the importance of creating a climate of trust and acceptance among members.
Activity Description: The facilitator starts by explaining that one way to start building trust is to enable group members to share their own personal thoughts and feelings about what they find difficult to talk about in a group setting. In order to initiate this process, the first step is to ask each member to complete a questionnaire regarding how much risk they would feel in each of the following situations:
· Asking help from others in addressing a work-based problem
· Asking for feedback from group members regarding something I have done
· Making a statement that might anger someone else in the group
· Expressing a difference of opinion or a conflict I have with another group member
· Giving another member critical feedback
· Being the center of attention of the group
· Expressing confusion or uncertainty in front of other group members
· Expressing dissatisfaction with the group leader
· Admitting I was wrong about something I said or did
· Admitting to the group I was wrong about an idea I had or an initiative I promoted
Participants rate their responses on a three-point “risk” scale (1 = Low Risk, 2 = Some Risk, 3 = High Risk). When they have completed the questionnaire they are paired up and process their findings with their partner—how they rated themselves, their reasoning, what they found out about themselves, what they would like to change.
The facilitator then reconvenes the full group and asks each pair to report on their findings. The full group is then asked, based on the reports, what steps need to be taken in future meetings, to encourage and sustain an on-going open dialogue.
Options: The group can be asked to use the information reported out, to establish written norms for the group to follow, in all their subsequent meetings.
Added thoughts or considerations: This is just an initial exercise. Individual members may set specific goals for themselves to increase their willingness to be open and authentic in a group setting, and create a contract with another member of the group to provide on-going feedback and support, to help achieve the developmental goals.