Icebreakers for Meetings

Transcription

1 Icebreakers for Meetings Workshop - The Circle of Trust

2 CATEGORY: Workshop NAME: The Trust Radius RESOURCES NEEDED: This activity sheet Flip chart USE TO: Initiate a trust discussion to help a team reach their full performance potential. TEACHING POINT: Qualities of people we trust can be found in those we work with - this realization forms the foundation of developing mutual trust on a team. This exercise is good to use with a new team or a restructured team to help participants establish a base realization that there are common characteristics between people we truly trust and people we work with. The premise is that everyone is truly trusted by someone and the traits we look for in the people we truly trust are also common in those with whom we work. Objective: Brainstorm ways to develop trust among team members. Tie to Performance: Trust is the basis for the ultimate level of teamwork and is necessary if teams are to reach their full performance potential. Time: 20 to 30 minutes including discussion. Instructions: Note: This activity has more impact with minimal set-up or discussion of trust prior to the exercise. 1. Ask individuals to take out a blank piece of paper and draw a circle in the middle of the paper. Inform participants that this is an exercise for their use only and their responses will not be shared. To that end, they should be encouraged to be thoughtful and honest. 2

3 2. Ask individuals to think about those people they truly trust and have them write the names of these people inside this inner circle of trust. If they ask, for a definition, instruct them to simply use the definition that has meaning for them. If they ask whether the people should be personal or work people just explain they should include anyone they truly trust leave it big picture. 3. Now ask participants to circle those individuals within their inner circle of trust that are from work. 4. Start a discussion with the group by asking Did anyone have more people from work in their inner circle than they did from their personal life? Rarely is this the case, so ask Most of you had more people from your personal life inside the circle. Why do you think this is? Note: Some people will debate that trust has to work differently inside the workplace than it does in other areas. Listen openly and welcome diverse perspectives acknowledging the input with appreciation (e.g., thank you for sharing ). It may be appropriate to also acknowledge that the level of trust can vary and differ between work and one s personal life but that the characteristics itself can exist in both. 5. Go to a flipchart and ask each person (round robin) to choose one adjective that best describes what trust means to them (e.g. candor, honesty, consistency, follow-through, etc). Chart every person s response until you have everyone s input. Review the list. Ask the group What do you see? Note: What you will find is, most all or all, of the adjectives are behaviors or characteristics of people that can be found in the workplace. This is an insight for many. 6. Facilitate a discussion around the following questions: What does it take to build trust within the workplace and within this team? How does a high-trust environment like the one we are discussing support the performance of this team? What can we commit to do as a team to put us on the right track toward building a trustrich environment? Note: It is helpful to flip chart the input from the discussion, in particular the commitments that the team makes in order to build trust. 7. Tie down the exercise by seeking affirmation and consensus around the conclusions and key commitments related to trust. Open the door for team members to speak to you as the leader or the entire team directly about any issues related to trust in the team. 3

4 FACILATOTOR PRE-WORK As a facilitator, you can increase the effectiveness of any workshop by doing a little pre-work around the questions or activities you will ask of the group. By doing a little pre-work and brainstorming ahead of time, you will be able to keep the activity moving forward if the group gets hung up on a task. Below are some ideas for your pre-work preparation around this activity: WORKSHOP PREWORK: TRUST Is trust given or earned? How about children, is trust given first? o Sometimes we have to extend some trust in order to establish a broader mutual trust. Adjectives that best describes what trust means to them o Integrity o Trust/honesty o Consistency o Openness o Accountability o Predictability o Reliability o Selflessness o No hidden agendas What does it take to develop trust within our team? o Define the BEAR of the team: What BELIEFS do we want team members and others to have about this team? What EXPERIENCES can we create to reinforce the creation of these beliefs What actual ACTIONS can each one of us take to build these experiences? What RESULTS does this team want to achieve? You can also work this in reverse, if you re Beginning with the end in mind. o Explain the why / be transparency o Open discussion on what we should STOP doing / START doing / CONTINUE doing o Sharing expectations (yours & theirs) o Share personal information (bio & share experiences) o Recognize and act on team ideas o Recognize wins, successes and advances o Quick follow-through (do what you say you are going to do) 4

5 FACILATOTOR PRE-WORK CONTINUED Icebreaker - The Circle Of Trust How does a high-trust environment like the one we are discussing, support the performance of our team? o Creates a safe environment for open, honest feedback o People are not afraid of retribution. o Have healthy debate o Okay to make mistakes o People are comfortable taking more calculated risk o Encourages a entrepreneurial attitude o Breaks down silos o Motivated and happier o More creativity & sharing 5