Getting your team members to agree and commit is one of the most important skills for a team facilitator. It can make or break the success of your projects, goals, and relationships. But how do you achieve it without imposing your own views, creating conflicts, or wasting time? Here are some best practices to help you facilitate agreement and commitment in your team.
Before you start any discussion, make sure everyone understands the purpose of the meeting, the topic, and the expected outcome. This will help you set the scope, the agenda, and the ground rules for the conversation. It will also help you avoid misunderstandings, distractions, and tangents that can derail the process. You can use a simple statement like "The purpose of this meeting is to decide on X by Y" or a question like "What do we want to achieve by the end of this meeting?"
Para lograr que los miembros del equipo estén de acuerdo y comprometidos de manera disruptiva, es fundamental enfocarse en sus fortalezas individuales, fomentar la autonomía y la toma de decisiones descentralizada, y crear un ambiente de trabajo que promueva la transparencia y la comunicación abierta. Además, es clave reconocer y valorar las contribuciones únicas de cada miembro, brindar retroalimentación positiva regularmente, y establecer un sistema de recompensas que motive la colaboración y el logro de objetivos en conjunto.
If there is a likelihood of conflict or disagreement with a team this is what I do at the start: 1. Outline a few principles about objective, respectful disagreement 2. Give the team a non-threatening topic to practice respectful disagreement on (for example, 'Cafes should only be allowed to serve coffee from Ethiopian beans because everything else is crap') 3. Debrief using observation and reflection of how people demonstrated respect and/or how people felt when someone voiced disagreement Simple exercise that sets the stage for managing disagreement later on in the session
I experienced many time meetings of one hour or more with no outcome, because the the desired outcome wasn't clearly formulated and communicated at the beginning of the meeting.
One of the key roles of a team facilitator is to listen actively to the team members and encourage them to share their opinions, concerns, and ideas. Listening actively means paying attention to what they say, how they say it, and what they don't say. It also means acknowledging their contributions, asking clarifying questions, and paraphrasing their points. By listening actively, you can show respect, build trust, and identify common interests and values among the team members.
Additionally, post-COVID, we still have many meetings with on-site and remote participants. Part of the active listing is also to turn the webcam on. Further, it's constructive if the person who facilitates it always involves the remote participants actively.
Once you have heard from everyone, you can start exploring the possible options for reaching an agreement. You can use different techniques to generate and evaluate options, such as brainstorming, voting, ranking, or pros and cons. The goal is to find the best solution that meets the needs and preferences of the team members, not to impose your own or to compromise for the sake of harmony. You can use questions like "What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?" or "How does each option align with our purpose and criteria?"
If you'd like to do this in a meeting, please set a strict time box for this activity. The facilitator should also ensure that this step doesn't become a huge debate since there is no absolute right or wrong, as it shouldn't be when you brainstorm or discover solutions. I prefer an asynchronous written version of this step. Like this, the team can take as much time as needed to find options, map them out, and describe their favorite option.
After you have narrowed down the options, you can test for agreement among the team members. You can use different methods to check for agreement, such as thumbs up or down, dot voting, or consensus cards. The goal is to find out how much support each option has, how strong or weak it is, and what are the reasons for disagreement or hesitation. You can use questions like "How do you feel about this option?" or "What would it take for you to agree to this option?"
The final step is to confirm the commitment of the team members to the agreed option. You can do this by summarizing the main points of the agreement, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of each team member, and setting the next steps and deadlines. You can also ask for feedback and suggestions on how to improve the process and the outcome. You can use statements like "This is what we have agreed to do" or "These are the actions we need to take" or questions like "How confident are you that we can deliver on this agreement?" or "How can we support each other in implementing this agreement?"
By following these best practices, you can facilitate agreement and commitment in your team in a way that is respectful, collaborative, and effective. You can also enhance your team's performance, satisfaction, and trust. Remember, agreement and commitment are not one-time events, but ongoing processes that require your attention and skill as a team facilitator.