Convening with Confidence

​​Understand the goal of the exercise and how it supports your team’s development stage. This helps you lead with clarity and intention and encourages engagement from the team when they understand the purpose. ​​​

• Try this: Clarify the “Why.”
• Imagine one of your team members asks, “Can you tell me — in one minute or less ​—​ why we are doing this exercise?” How would you respond?
  • Your response helps ground you in the intended purpose; builds trust and engagement of the team; and can boost your confidence as the convener.

Review the instructions and materials ahead of time. Jot down a few notes or questions. You don’t need to memorize anything; just be familiar enough to guide the flow and ​​be open to where the exercise may go.

Each exercise includes a suggested outline. Feel free to use it as, is or adapt it to your style and team needs. It’s there to support you, not to restrict you.

• All exercises can be adapted to meet varied team goals.
• All exercises can be adapted to in-person or virtual gatherings​​.

Encourage participation, but let people engage at their comfort level. When there are openings, transition with phrases such as:

• “Would anyone like to share?”
• “Let’s take a moment to reflect silently.”
• “There’s no right or wrong answer here.”
• Allow for silence. Silence is not bad. It can allow for deeper thought that can lead to deeper discussion.

Tip: Sharing is always an invitation, not an expectation.

When you invite the group to share out, remember that it is just an invitation. If only a few people speak up, or no one does, that’s okay. There can be many reasons for silence, and most have nothing to do with you or the activity.

Trust that reflection is still happening, even if the group is quiet. Your role is to hold space, not to expect participation.

Watch the clock, but be flexible in managing time. If the conversation warrants more time, it’s okay to go a little over ​​and adjust the agenda.

• It’s okay to check in with the group about time. You might say:
  “I notice we have [X] minutes remaining. What would be most helpful right now? Would you like to continue this conversation, or pause and revisit it another time?”

End by thanking everyone for showing up and sharing. You might invite folks to consider (and if time allows, invite to share-out):

• “What’s one takeaway for you from today?”
• “Is there anything we’d like to carry forward as a team?”
• “What is one word you are leaving with?”
• “Please reach out if you have any feedback on the exercise, experience, or future team development ideas.”

• Be present. Minimize distractions and give your attention to the group.
• Give permission to be unpolished. This is a space for honest reflection, not perfect answers.
• Engage in active listening. Listen to understand, not to respond.
• Share the space. Make room for all voices; step up or step back as needed.
• Assume positive intent. Trust that everyone is here to contribute in good faith.
• Ensure confidentiality. What’s shared in the room stays in the room (unless agreed otherwise).

Formal leaders — including supervisors, managers, and directors — set the tone for healthy teams. Leaders can provide the team with the necessary time and space to engage in team development. In some cases, leaders may need to give explicit permission to team members to co-create the kind of team they want.

An endorsement from leadership to explore team development does not mean that all new ideas or recommendations from the team will be implemented. Rather, it is encouragement to co-create a path forward.