Over the weekend I hurriedly stepped in to facilitate a project team in improving their communication (and developing some ‘trust’ within the team without dealing with it directly). I used a Bonner Curriculum visioning exercise of the sort I used at Teesside University,
The shared visioning exercise provided a useful framework for a team to consider and develop a coherent, shared set of conceptualizations, goals, and values for a given project or work. By providing an opportunity for each team member to articulate and shape hopes and expectations for a project, a shared vision helps create a culture that values the full and effective participation of all of its members, regardless of personal identity, experience, or background.
The exercise asked them to develop a vision of their communication and then come to agreements/commitments (along with contingencies) of how they will be communicating with each other.
As a warm-up to the exercise I used the ‘creation myth approach’ and asked them to think individually about and then discuss as a group why/how their team was founded. The discussion did well at revealing differences that lay underneath (and, possibly obstructed) communication.
I drew on (and quote from) the following excellent resources:
http://www.bonner.org/resources/modules/modules_pdf/BonCurSharedVision.pdf
and
Bruce Honing and Daniel Safran on LinkedIn
