APPRECIATING CONNECTIONS: Communication

1. How to communicate?

Creating good communication within an organization is crucial for fostering collaboration, increasing productivity, and enhancing overall effectiveness. Several tools and strategies can help improve communication within an organization.

Whenever in the moments of crisis, conflict, survival or peaceful and thriving ones communicating effectively is crucial for change or sustainability. Through empathetic communication, communities can navigate crises with resilience and unity.

2. Tools for a better communication

Here are some commonly used tools:

1. Internal Communication Platforms: Utilize internal communication platforms and tools designed specifically for facilitating communication within organizations. These platforms can include intranet systems, team collaboration software (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams), project management tools (e.g., Trello, Asana), or internal social networks. Such platforms provide a centralized space for sharing information, collaborating on projects, and facilitating real-time communication among employees.

2. Email and Newsletters: Utilize email as a means to distribute important announcements, updates, and information across the organization. Newsletters can also be created to consolidate and communicate key messages, events, and achievements. Clear and concise communication via email and newsletters can ensure that important information reaches all employees in a timely manner.

3. Meetings and Workshops: Conduct regular meetings, both in-person and virtual, to facilitate face-to-face communication and collaboration. These meetings can include team meetings, departmental meetings, and company-wide town halls. Workshops or brainstorming sessions can also be organized to encourage open dialogue and idea sharing.

4. Communication Guidelines: Establish communication guidelines or protocols that define expectations and best practices for communication within the organization. These guidelines can cover aspects such as email etiquette, meeting norms, response times, and effective use of communication platforms. Clearly outlining these guidelines promotes consistent and effective communication practices.

5. Feedback and Listening Channels: Implement feedback mechanisms and channels that allow employees to provide suggestions, share concerns, and offer input. This can include anonymous feedback systems, suggestion boxes, or regular feedback sessions. Active listening, both from managers and colleagues, is crucial to create an environment where everyone feels heard and valued.

6. Visual Communication Tools: Utilize visual aids to enhance communication and understanding. This can include infographics, diagrams, charts, or visual presentations that help convey complex information in a simplified and engaging manner. Visual tools can improve clarity and retention of information.

3. Tool: FEEDBACK

“It is in giving that we receive”

– Saint Francis de Assisi

 

“No matter how good you think you are as a leader, my goodness, the people around you will have all kinds of ideas for how you can get better. So for me, the most fundamental thing about leadership is to have the humility to continue to get feedback and to try to get better – because your job is to try to help everybody else get better.”

– Jim Yong Kim

 

Inspiring phrases. However, the meaning could be misunderstood. Some people think that they must give to get back something, and when they don’t get the things they have “expected”, they become disappointed, angry, or blame the rest of the world for the situation. And, they choose to never give anymore. It doesn’t work that way. The return will only occur when the giving is done sincerely from the heart, and it may not even be the same as the way we hope it could be.

 

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

• To learn more about yourself and yourself in a group;
• To learn more about other group members and the group dynamics; differences, skills, personal issues and hidden aspects of the others for supporting each other in personal growth;
• To improve feedback skills – giving and receiving feedback - and self-revelation skills;
• To create transparency and trust among group members;
• To improve the working environment in the network

MATERIALS

• Pens and Paper for the facilitator;
• Handouts about feedback, one for every participant; To be found here:
  Giving and Receiving Feedback: A Guide
  
• Awareness bell or similar ringing object;
• Sheets of paper and pencils for participants;

TIME

prepare to spend on these exercise around 1,5 hours.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE

For members that want to improve a peaceful and appreciative communication/group culture, trust and transparency among network members / their group and learn to support each other in their personal growth for preventing interpersonal and group conflicts. Ideally, they should know each other, be part of the same working group and have some experience working together.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 6 better 8 or 10 up to 30 (or more). Ideally a group of even numbers.

See document LT feedback (giving and receiving) – present the recommendations. 

Frame the steps of the exercise – walking around – find by chance a person – pairs deciding who gives feedback. 2 – 3 min feedback. Only giving/receiving. No discussion. NOT CHANGE ROLES. Thanks. Walk again... next person... by chance or later on consciously chosen... do it 3 to 6 times.. then time to reflect alone.. later in small groups, afterwards in a whole group.

Give handouts “LT feedback – giving and receiving” to the participant and explain feedback instructions/recommendations

Receive the handouts and listen to the instructions. Asking, if anything is not clear.

TIP: As a trainer: Clarify that the instructions/recommendations in the handout (giving and receiving feedback) are for practising feedback in day-to-day life.

In workshops, this recommendation can cause a discussion between the feedback giver and the receiver. The pairs must not discuss the feedback! Otherwise, it can cause or deepen an existing conflict! One important learning of this exercise for feedback receivers is: To only listen to the feedback and try to stay with your emotions provoked by the feedback. Do not go into explanations or justifications. Accept that this feedback is part of the reality of the feedback giver even if you think or feel it is very different to your reality. Keep just what resonates for you and you may discharge the rest It is a hard but important learning to learn to control these strong feelings.

So, it is very important that participants understand that they really should prevent discussing the feedback. It is often hard for feedback receivers to not do this. You can support them to show, that if it is very difficult for them to hear things about themselves they even harm them, to understand that this is a self-revelation of the feedback giver and it could be that this nothing has to do with the other person. If the pressure is too strong, offer the possibility to have a guided talk afterwards to clarify things. Speak in general: if necessary talk about feedback you got, it is good to do it later, find a good time and space to do this. And, if there is a deeper conflict, ask a third person to guide this talk.
You also can add that it often can be painful to hear about yourself of the B-window you do not know. And that is normal that you feel resistance about it. Support the people in a meditative way to only feel what happens – don’t have to do anything about it, feeling, be aware of it and slowly strong feelings can change if we don’t go into resistance.

This information and support you can give after the exercise when you feel some participants are really shaky or the group energy is agitated.

Step 1: TUNING IN. Preparation for LT feedback exercise (3-5 min)

Facilitator: Standing, watching the group feeling group energy, giving instructions.

Ask participants to stand up and walk a bit around – feel contact with the Earth - be aware of yourself, how do you feel here and now – can you be present at this very moment? Slowly in your time, open your mind to the others – still, stay present and walking around - and be aware of yourself – and be aware of the others you meet while you are walking around – be aware of feelings people causing while passing them - stay present...

TIP: As a trainer: Be tuned to the energy of the group – do they need more or less time for grounding and tuning in? Adapt the speed of your instructions – make longer or shorter breaks between the instructions. Also, adapt the amount of feedback. After every feedback exercise attune and decide to do it again or close the session. More than 6 times can be overwhelming. If people are not so experienced four times can be already very challenging.

Step 2: pair-building and CLIPS FEEDBACK EXERCISE (20-30 min)

Bell rings, now, decide who gives feedback, and who receives it. Short reframing of the feedback exercise – remind of the requirements for feedback giving. Important! The person who will receive the feedback does not give feedback on what he/she heard. 

Pairs: will get 2 – 3 min to give feedback. Then, will hear the bell when the time is over. After that, is a short moment to thank the person in front and change roles.

Bell rings: coming slowly to the end. Thank the partner.

Start walking around again, being in silence for a short while. Is a time to feel the effect of what was given/received. If preferred, still walk around … a time to come back to yourself... (1 – 2 min).

And again... walk around and start again to be open to the others – look around... bell... meet another person nearby you.

Ring the bell – give instructions – be attuned to the group - repeat 2 – 5 times depending on group and group energy.

Pair-building alternative for groups of participants they know each other already for a longer while/ community groups: After the first or second feedback session: “If you like, looking for a person in the group you will give personal feedback on a situation you had with her/him in the past. Be aware of the requirements – especially if the relationship is good enough/there are no bigger conflicts between you. But also: Use this exercise to take a risk. Choose in the beginning not the biggest challenge – you can do this perhaps afterwards. But choose a person only giving “nice feedback” - use the opportunity to say also things you normally hide (window C/self-revelation). You also can use this exercise to go to a person you ask for feedback – maybe you would like to hear from her/him more about what he/she really thinks about you or a specific situation.

It`s very important that the person who receives feedback not talk about what he/she has heard/received – no discussion, explanation or justification. If necessary to talk about the feedback it`s important to do this not during this exercise – find another good time and place to do this!

PARTICIPANTS walking around – following the instructions – find a person nearby when hearing the bell – tune in to the person in front of each other – give or receive feedback. Take time to feel what they have experienced. Walk around...

TIP: As a trainer, you can think of the possibility that this exercise can trigger deep feelings. You should be able to handle these emotions. If not, be careful to use this exercise especially this version of giving personal feedback on situations participants had together in the past (pair-building alternative).

Step 3: REFLECTION (5-7 min)

Find a place in the room where you feel comfortable. Take 5 min in silence reflecting experience you`ve had. If you like take time to write down your personal insights. You can use the sheets. After 5 min ring the bell.

Give empty sheets to the participants. Ring the bell after 5 min.

TIP: As a trainer, you can think of participants who feel uncomfortable after the exercise – offer your support or invite them to leave the room... be attentive to the group energy. If necessary, you can give here some short more general explanations to calm down the agitated energy.

Step 4: EXCHANGE in small groups (10-15)

Please, come slowly to an end (bell rings). Now, you will have time to exchange your experience in a small group of four/six, having 10/15 min to share. Also in this exercise be aware of windows B and C, especially C – decide consciously what and how much you really want to share, how much you want to open the C-window and do self-revelation.

Ring the bell, and invite participants to come together in groups of four to six people (depending on the size of the group) – use perhaps a short method to build groups.

Come together in small groups, and start to share their experience.

Step 5: DEBRIEFING (10-20 min)

In general: 

• How was it?
• Do you know now more about your self-image and the image (others have)?
• Did you get new insights?

Feedback exercise: Would you prefer to give feedback or to receive it? What is easier for you?
Transfer: How can we use feedback in our groups? How to implement this kind of group culture in which it is welcome to give and receive feedback?

TIP: If you work with community groups, it makes sense to focus on the transfer aspect. If you work with seminar groups with participants who do not know each other it makes sense to focus more on the personal aspects.

OTHER REMARKS - FROM FACILITATOR TO FACILITATOR

The Feedback exercise can provoke deep feelings. You should be an experienced facilitator if you want to offer this method. It depends also on the experience of the participants. If you work with an experienced network group you can also go even deeper and adapt this exercise for example you do the process of feedback giving/receiving in the centre of a circle – witnessing by the other community members – like a “hot chair”.

A short video on Giving and receiving feedback