Collaboration Compass: Finding Direction with Strengths

Want a quick, yet impact filled way, to start your next team meeting or community gathering? Try this activity that what we facilitated in a recent strategic planning session.

The Strength Compass Activity:

Draw compass points on a flip-chart. Ask people to pick the ONE compass point that most describes or reflects their personal preference (with the understanding that people likely have some aspects of all of these strengths).

Read out the following descriptions:
North: You are a let’s get it done person. All about the action
South: You are a let’s look at the big picture person
East: You are about inclusion of everyone’s feelings and voice
West: You pay attention to the details.

Have people stand and cluster in groups, based on their chosen compass points, and encourage them to talk about the strengths they each bring in their chosen area. Although people cluster together under one heading, it becomes clear that each person approaches their strength in a unique way. After small group discussion - capture the collective strengths on a flip-chart (like in the photo). Use this as a visual reference throughout any meeting to keep the various strengths in mind that can help influence things like strategic planning, goal setting or initiative task appointing. These strengths can help any plan come to fruition! Each time we have facilitated this activity there is a resulting buzz of conversation and a claiming of personal strengths that fills meeting rooms!

Here are two more resources filled with strength based approaches and community building tools:

1. We LOVE this Sierra Health Foundation resource that is chock full of asset minded activities. In particular take a look at their capacity inventory checklist and asset mapping activity. They ask things like... What do we have that will help us get there? What are our assets, resources, strengths or capacities? What are the gifts people can bring?
http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/files/other_pubs/WDIO-We-Did-It-Ourselves.pdf

2. A Guide to Capacity Inventories: Mobilizing the Community Skills of Local Residents by John P. Kretzmann John McKnight and Co-directors Geralyn Sheehan. This document focuses on individual capacities and collective assets. One of the main questions they suggest communities should ask is: How will the skills and capacities of local people be translated into meeting community-building goals?
This resource takes community planning from thinking about needs (issues/problems) to thinking about capacities (tools to promote growth and enhance quality). Check out the capacity inventory checklist: http://www.abcdinstitute.org/docs/CapacityInventories%281%29.pdf

All of the above activities and resources speak to the power of finding collaborative direction with the STRENGTHS of the individuals and whole. Try it!

Discover the strengths that fill your collaboration compass!


Village Raising Question:

What is a strength filled activity you have used?

* Note: Does this activity interest you? If so, the collaboration compass can be found in our new book Village Raising: Learn, Think, Innovate and Act Together. This book is chock full of 60 engaging activities for group leaders.

* See related blog:
Who is the ultimate team member? Using collective strengths.  http://raisingthevillage.blogspot.ca/2012/09/who-is-ultimate-team-member.html 

What can/will go wrong in a group activity - part 1

Not meaning to sound like a "glass half empty" type, but it would be short sighted for any group leader to ignore the distinct possibility that a group process can miss the mark. In fact, most honest facilitators will confess that they are not immuned to Murphy's law. Eventually, what can cause some challenges, will.  This reality check shouldn't scare anyone off taking some risks with a group - in fact it should only heighten your awareness and preparation for those bumps in the road.




Four COMMON obstacles for group facilitators are;

1. participants resist participating
2. participants don't understand your activity instructions
3. someone dominates the activity debrief dialogue
4. the final outcomes are not what you are hoping for the group

This week we'll tackle the first two, and check in next week for the rest. For each problem, learn some signs that something bad is brewing, tips to help AVOID IT as well as what to do if it does actually happen (without crying).

1.  PEOPLE RESIST PARTICIPATING

• you might hear some side conversations
• shudder to think, but be prepared for eye-rolling
• outright refusal
• suggestions to do something else

Prevent it!

• be crystal clear with yourself about why you are choosing this activity for this group for your desired outcome
• start the session with VERY CLEAR communication around the purpose of the gathering/activity
• ease any stress by reassuring participants that you won't be getting them to do anything crazy or uncomfortable
• if you know your group, check in with "resistors" before hand and even find roles for them to keep them committed and engaged.

Deal with it!

• don't make a huge deal about it
• create a role for "an observer" or "timekeeper" and ask them to help out that way
• if you have some group agreements - you may need to re-visit them if any are broken

2.  PARTICIPANTS DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR DIRECTIONS

• Dazed an confused looks
• Chatter - everyone asking everyone (but you) what to do
• Hopefully questions to ask for clarification

Prevent it!

• make sure YOU understand your own instructions!
• practice the activity before hand
• chunk up your directions, repeat them slowly step by step and ask for a thumbs up as you go along

Deal with it!

• stop and start again.
• find out if anyone DID understand and have them help you explain
• give an example, role play or demonstrate
• whatever you do, try not to get frustrated, don't take it personally and DON'T make the participants feel dumb (that will always end in disaster)

These are adapted from author Brian Cole Miller, who, I'm sure has experienced these challenges.  Have you?  Tell us what you did to deal with them! Comment please, we'd love to swap stories!

Why bother with group agreements?

Worth taking the time for, developing group agreements (aka guiding principles or ground rules ) can be a facilitator's wild card to move a group towards great work and away from falling to pieces.

Let's be honest, many groups say the following classic excuses NOT to create group rules:

"We know each other, we don't need to have rules."

"Boring... we know what they will be...respect, listen, don't interrupt...why bother rehashing what we already know?"

"We are too rushed."

Time for a pradigm shift.  Time to re-define what group agreements and the process of creating them can actually do for you and your group.

#1 Group agreements are public commitments to each other in the collaborative effort. Imagine the shift in attitutdes and behviours when people set an intent to be responsible for their own reactions and level of participation... and then say it out loud! Perhaps this would actual mean that people would stay engaged, stay off their cell phones and generously share their ideas - all without having to be asked!  They act as a reminder that participants need to handle their own feelings/reactions/learning to be accountable. 

#2  Group agreements are also the get out of jail free card if interactions do get tense. As a group member or facilitator, having written agreements can be used to remind those who slip into less than agreeable behaviours (side talking, rolling eyes, accusatory or inflammatory statements, ect.) that it is not ok.  Let's hope your group never goes there but trust us, going through the process of creating group agreements can PREVENT negative behaviour as well as SAVE you when all hell breaks loose.

Any stories about group agreements - when they worked and when they didn't? We'd love to hear from you.

Watch for a future blog on WHAT CAN GO WRONG IN A GROUP - how to prevent it (if you can) or how to deal with it head-on!

Related Blogs
Turning Cantakerous into Cooperative
Derailed by Group Dynamics

Understanding, engaging and moving forward with groups.

This week we answer the question: What are some of the best ways to UNDERSTAND a group, ENGAGE them and MOVE FORWARD in addressing complex issues?

UNDERSTANDING takes listening and learning.  This could look very different depending on the group. Formally, you can use surveys, forums and research or consider collaborative conversations and seeking points of view more informally through fun engagement and interaction. Be curious…ask questions. Craft ones that are tough, deep, and emotional because its those kinds of questions that get people thinking. Remember to be open, patient and deliberate in all of your approaches within community.

 ENGAGE the group by giving them what they need. Keep brain based engagement principles in mind.  Find what makes things relevant for them.  That might include what is relevant for the group as a whole as well as what is relevant for individual people too.   Create the space, ask phenomenological questions, celebrate together, and hold tons of dialogue.

Then, once you have got people engaged, MOVING FORWARD to address complex issues is the goal. We believe that it is though well planned group process that moves groups to action.  And not just any action – but one that resonates, is well informed and has everyone’s buy-in.

See our related blog on the four steps to dealing with complexity using group processes.

Village Raising Question:

Reflect on what might happen when any of these strategies is skipped or rushed.  What happens when a community builder doesn't really understand the group they are with or if only part of the group is engaged in the topic or issue? How effective is action when not everyone is informed and "bought" it?

Related blogs:

 6 Group Process Tips
Brain Based Engagement Strategies
Find What Binds You

Everyday Items Yield Extraordinary Dialogue

The intention of dialogue is to reach new understanding and, in doing so, to form a totally new basis from which to think and act. William Isaacs. *


And often this level of dialogue can be reached by using everyday items that shake regular routines and thought patterns up!

For example, what could you do with...

• Stones


• Straws


• String

...to promote dialogue and multi person perspective sharing?

Over our years of facilitating groups we have used all of the above items (and many more) to craft and host a variety of team experiences filled with extraordinary dialogue that leads to collective action and learning.

Stones : pass around stones to a group as a check-in or check out. Whoever holds the stone has uninterrupted time to share their thoughts and ideas.

Straws : work together to build collective straw towers - debrief and land the learning by asking the group... How were decisions made? What did people notice about the role they played in the building? What kind of dialogue took place? How might this apply to the work they do together?

String or rope: toss a ball of string around the room until everyone holds a piece and has had their say. We have also used rope in activities like this one: http://www.teambuildingportal.com/games/rope-knots-game

There is no end to the things you can do. Challenge yourself and grab a random everyday object right now. Take a moment to brainstorm all the ways you could use that item to foster extraordinary dialogue.

Village Raising Questions:
What makes extraordinary dialogue?
What everyday item will you use in your next group meet?

We know you have good activity ideas - so please share them with us and others! Post your activity idea on our Raising the Village Facebook page. The post that gets the most "LIKES" between February 14 and Feb 22nd will be highlighted in one of our books and as a bonus, recieve a free copy when it is released!











* Note: William Isaacs quote from his book: A Pioneering Approach to Communicating in Business and in Life – dialogue and the art of thinking together.