When times get tense and there is a lot going on, people tend to bottle up their feelings. And while few people want to get into a big emotional kum-ba-yah at work, there is a lot of power in sharing some of those feelings. When we talk about our hopes and fears, we transition from feeling stressed to acting on the things that matter.
Here is a quick (1-1.5 hour) teambuilding exercise I like to use to help people get past stress and begin being productive. You'll need a topic that you think people are stressed about, index cards, and two containers.
1) The Topic - Pick something simple that people are worried or stressed about. Examples include: "Team Morale" "Our Customer Service" and "Our Sales Process." Choose something specific, but phrase it broadly enough that people can share a variety of hopes and worries.
2) Supplies - Get two containers. I like to use big colorful buckets, like you might bring to the beach. You'll also want a thick stack of index cards and some markers or pens.
3) Label one bucket "Hopes" and one bucket "Fears" or "Worries."
4) Share the topic for the discussion, then ask people "What worries you about TOPIC?" What are your hopes/aspirations for TOPIC?" Have people jot down their hopes and worries, one per index card. Have them drop these into the appropriate bucket. (Do not ask people to put their names on the cards.)
5) When that step is complete, dump out the cards, keeping them separate for each bucket. Have the team group them into categories and discuss using the questions below as a guide.
Worries/Fears
- What kind of things are we worried about?
- Are these realistic worries?
- Which ones can we take action on, and which ones are out of our control?
- What steps should we take (if any) to address these concerns?
Hopes/Aspirations
- What are our hopes?
- Can our hopes become reality?
- How can we nurture and support our best hopes?
- Are there opportunities to take action on these items?
Record any conclusions that you come to, and follow up or act as appropriate. It is best to always include a "what should we do about this?" kind of question, so that the group begins taking action, not just airing their feelings.
Also, as the leader you should not judge or criticize what people put in the buckets. We're asking for feelings, and while you may not agree with them, you will erode trust if you "slam" someone for sharing something authentic. It's OK to offer counterpoints, but not to tell others that their feelings are false.
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