How can facilitation improve team trust?

As a new recruit in basic training, I was filled with intrigue. Although the training was grueling, the trust my unit-mates and I developed was unparalleled. We recognized early on that we were stronger as a team than the sum of individual women. Supporting each other physically and emotionally, cooperating, and dividing difficult tasks, ensured we were all going to make it through the experience successfully. On one of the most physically challenging exercises (with full military gear), we snuck our ailing teammate's gear into our backpacks so she could finish it with us. The gear included ammunition, food, water, and other equipment. Sweat, blisters, achy muscles, and fatigue were forgotten. Joy, loyalty, and fulfillment were not - ever!

Before we answer the question of team trust, maybe it's interesting to look at what is a team. The team could be the people you work with on a project, could be the key stakeholders within an organisation, or could even be the flatmates whom you live with. As human nature, we often tend to avoid uncertainty. If the course coordinator asks students to form their own groups for an assignment, people will turn to their friends first because they are more "trusted". This happens in various aspects of our lives. We want "trusted" objects because they can reduce our concern and mental burden, and potentially increase efficiency. A sense of belonging is there; interestingly, sometimes we perceive the same with non-humans objects as well.

Facilitation fosters team trust by promoting open communication, active listening, and collaboration. A skilled facilitator ensures all voices are heard, encouraging transparency and respect among team members. By guiding discussions and problem-solving processes, facilitation builds consensus and empowers individuals to contribute their ideas freely. This collaborative environment nurtures trust as team members feel valued and supported, leading to stronger relationships and increased cohesion. According to a study by the International Journal of Business Communication, effective facilitation can enhance team trust by almost 36%.

Team Trust is when team members feel comfortable, are encouraged to express their true feelings and know that empathetic listeners and supporters will meet them.

Susan Scott, author of Fierce Conversations, once said that 'the conversation is the relationship', and so to hold a rich, authentic conversation a team needs to be underpinned by trust.

Any environment is comprised of people having unique experiences and perspectives; therefore, they will have their own emotional responses and feelings. Proper, objective facilitation allows people to express themselves freely and be held accountable in the process. Accountability helps people develop self-awareness and strengthen their bonds with other members.

Being able to improve team trust is based on several variables, including the history of the team and culture of the organization. In order to do this effectively, it is critical to gain as much information as possible before setting the goals, scope, and agenda. This can be done through a confidential survey, individual interviews, or organizational assessment.

Remember that the purpose of facilitation is to make it easy for a group to have a conversation and reach their desired outcomes. The facilitator's role is critical in setting the conditions for a safe and trust based conversation, although this doesn't mean that the conversation itself will be easy as there may be difficult topics to address. A practical example of how the facilitator can create a safe and supportive environment is to ensure that everyone is clear on the desired outcomes of the conversation, and provide an opportunity for everyone to input into HOW they would like everyone in the conversation to behave. This is often called 'ways of working', and it is here that requests such as 'seek to understand first' may appear.

Facilitation is markedly different from other forms of teaching and learning methods largely because it focuses on the sharing of knowledge and enabling all learners to contribute their quota. This inherently helps breeds a safe and supportive environment for teams.

Algumas ferramentas podem ajudar a facilita??o. Uma delas é o ciclo de percep??o, que pode ser usado quando um tema ou situa??o precisa ser compreendida. O ciclo consiste em quatro perguntas poderosas que podem levar à compreens?o e à a??o. Pesquise sobre, pode ser bem útil.

Facilitation can encourage participation and collaboration several ways: *Creating a safe environment *Active Listening and Validation *Conflict Resolution *Setting Clear Expectations *Building Relationships *Transparency and Communication When team members feel heard and understood they develop a sense of camaraderie, they are more likely to trust that their input is valued, they have open dialogue to resolve differences and they understand how their contributions fit into the bigger picture. When trust is established and nurtured through effective facilitation, teams are better equipped to work together cohesively towards shared goals. Remember #YOUCAN do anything you put your mind too. ?? Your biggest cheerleader, Shaye ??

Facilitation encourages people to explore parts of themselves that may go unnoticed or unseen, such as their blind spots; this increases self-awareness and guides people to participate in getting to know themselves better. It has the same effect on groups, as it encourages members to explore interpersonal dynamics, improve listening, and ask powerful questions to become more comfortable collaborating and trusting one another.

Criando um ambiente seguro e livre de julgamentos, todos se sentir?o mais confortáveis em colaborar. Usar quebra gelos, por exemplo, pode ser uma ótima estratégia para come?ar. Fazer uso de histórias também é um bom caminho para que cada um se veja em algum lugar do contexto contado.

Facilitation allows for the voices of all to be heard because it is underlined by the primary factor of there being no wrong answer. Thus, it encourages participation and collaboration, especially within culturally and ethnically diverse ones.

Facilitation stands as a cornerstone in fostering robust feedback and recognition within teams. It actively promotes open communication between team members and leaders, structures feedback sessions, exemplifies positive behaviors, celebrates accomplishments, and institutes accountability measures across board. In essence, facilitation decisively cultivates a culture of continual improvement and genuine appreciation within the team dynamic.

Feedback is often best given through open-ended questions. Questions that begin with "what" and "how" encourage others to explore within themselves. This type of self-reflection often provides the best feedback because the individual is learning things about themself. As a facilitator, it's usually best to highlight a person's strengths and acknowledge them for these things before giving constructive feedback.

Trust is a critical foundation for team performance, without it a team stands very little chance of performing well. A powerful model of team performance is the 'Team Performance Model (TPM)' by Drexler and Sibbet. I encourage anyone, including facilitators, seeking to understand how team performance evolves to study this model. You will notice that building trust is the second of the seven steps to high performance. Without trust team members will simply 'play' at being part of the team. Mistrust will inevitably build and a facade of collaboration will follow. With trust in place team members will develop strong mutual regard, demonstrate honesty, and come to rely on each other.

When there's trust, there's also a sense of psychological safety, allowing individuals to express themselves freely and contribute their best efforts. Additionally, trust enables the team to navigate challenges, adapt to changes, and seize opportunities with resilience and confidence. Ultimately, I believe that humor and levity within trusted teams contribute to higher overall performance and better cooperation, as they create a more enjoyable and supportive work environment where individuals feel valued and understood.

To be able to function in the best way possible in any setting with groups of people, trust is vital. If team members are unable to believe that their well-being is assured, there is unhealthy competition which impacts output and input as well. Thus, team trust is very key to promoting a thriving team and ensuring optimal performance.

At the same time there should be some rules that these current team is overall agreed on - like communication style. Cause what for one group, even at the workplace, is normal - for other is harming or weird. So, for an option to group become a team is in knowing the rules of the scene & feeling that they are suitable to them. And only after that we can talk about options to express yourself freelly & maximizing the potential of these current team.

Análises pré e pós evento e a própria sensibilidade do gestor quanto ao número de conflitos do time podem ser bons indicadores.

Facilitation has a significant impact on team trust, and measuring this impact requires a combination of various approaches. To achieve reliable outcomes, it is necessary to use surveys and feedback forms to assess perception, conduct interviews to gather qualitative data, observe changes in behavior, track performance metrics, integrate trust-building activities into sessions, and conduct subsequent assessments to evaluate long-term impact. By utilizing a combination of these methods, facilitators can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their interventions in enhancing team trust and promoting collaboration.

Trust is built and developed over time and can evaporate quickly; therefore, it's essential to maintain a certain level of facilitation and objective support as teams continue to be met with new challenges along the way.

Facilitation can improve team trust by encouraging open communication, collaboration, and transparency within the team. It helps ensure that all team members have a voice and feel heard, fostering a sense of trust and respect among team members. Facilitation also helps navigate conflicts and differences in opinions, leading to more productive and harmonious working relationships. Additionally, facilitation can create a safe space for team members to express themselves freely, share ideas, and work towards common goals, ultimately building trust and camaraderie within the team.

As one wise man said trust is like a mirror, once broken it can be whole again and can at best be only patched up. Teams need to build trust and then maintain it. It is important for all managers and team leads to be very intentional in cultivating and maintaining a sense of trust among team members in inter and intra-departments for a harmonious working environment in an organization regardless of size or number.