In honor of Halloween, we are sharing our treats. Because the holidays are around the corner, we are aiming to be extra sweet! Over the past several months, we have been sharing with you some of the tools, such as Miro and Mural, that we leverage in order to engage our teams in a hybrid world. In this blog post, we will be diving deeper and covering a collection of tricks and treats that you can use to build your facilitator’s toolkit.
The topics we will cover include:
- Having the right mindset
- Building connections across your team
- Engaging with your customers better
First, we want you to have the right mindset. Whether you are a Project Manager, Agile Coach, or a budding servant leader, you have to remember that your “personal” agenda should NOT be the driver of any meeting. Lyssa Adkins, the author of Coaching Agile Teams, describes behaviors you should move away from, such as knowing the answer & fixing problems, and actions you should move towards, such as focusing on business value delivery & guiding your teams.
Two other mantras from the Agile Coaching Institute (ACI) that you can follow include:
- I create the container. They create the content.
- My actions enhance their self-organization.
The key takeaway is that you should focus on the outcomes and objectives set up by the owner(s) of the meeting. For example, if you are in a Daily Scrum, the owners of the meeting are the team. If folks are getting too technical and focusing on solutions instead of their intentions for the day, you have the right to interrupt and remind them of their goals for the session.
Now that you are aware of the mindset that you should embrace, here are some tools to help strengthen your team’s connection with one another. They can be used when your team is coming together for the first time or when they have lost their way and need to revisit their purpose.
The first thing you should start with is putting together a poster that describes your team’s goals, needs, mission, and purpose. Some of the templates we have found useful include The Team Canvas, Voltage Control’s Focus Finder, and Atlassian’s Team Poster. (Note for the Team Poster you and/or your organization will need to have an Atlassian license to access their playbook). Choose the one that makes sense given the state of your teams. In fact, you can use a combination of these templates and then, synthesize the results. Remember to take the time to review your team’s canvas on a set cadence.
Another way to build a connection is to use icebreakers. Of course, there are the traditional ones, like two truths and a lie, and never have I ever. The problem with these options is that they are overused and do not incite engagement. After taking the ACI’s Agile Team Facilitation course, we were introduced to the concept of Tribes and Constellation. These exercises get people moving and teach your team about the system they operate in. They can be used with a variety of team sizes and can be adapted in a hybrid environment. For example, for Tribes, you can use the Raise Hand function of Teams for people to opt-in and out-out.
Once your teams have started to create a connection, it is time to connect with your customers. The typical methods involve large-scale forums or suggestion boxes that become overflowed with requests. The problem with these is that they may dehumanize your customers. In fact, we have seen where forums have become customer complaining sessions. There were lots of high emotions and very little action. Therefore, it may be good to take a setback and understand what value you bring your customers.
To do this, we recommend leveraging Strategyzer’s Value Proposition Canvas. As a facilitator, there are instructions you can follow. There is also a short video that you can use to introduce the concept to your teams. Plus, it can be done virtually, in person, and in a hybrid setting. After building the canvas, you’ll have a clear view of how your team can add value, and it can be iterated over the evolution of your products.
Another set of options includes Luke Hohmann’s Innovation Games. Have you ever been in a situation where your customers really want something, but can’t seem to give you a list of requirements? Never fear, Hohmann introduces to us 12 games that we can use to better understand the product that we are building. He does this by challenging our audience to think outside of the box. Some of our favorites include Buy A Feature and Give Them a Hot Tub. Just like Strategyzer, he provides an in-depth analysis of how to leverage the games. Therefore, you will know how to set up the game, facilitate the session, and then, summarize the findings.
In conclusion, the above are just a sample of tricks and treats that you can share with your teams. Some of our favorite websites to get inspiration from include tastycupcake.org and gamestorming.com. If you prefer a more guided experience, check out Training from the Back of the Room by Sharon L. Bowman. It has a collection of techniques you can use so that your teams remember and use what they have learned.
In the end, having the right mindset is the foundation of every toolkit. Another way to put it is that you do not need to use a hammer when a mallet is good enough. As a facilitator, you need to be aware of the tools that you have and use them in a way that makes sense to your teams. Do not use something just because it is shiny and new. It is all about finding the right balance and using tools that enhance your team’s experience.
Want to learn more? Comment below on other areas you would like to build up. Also, don’t forget to check out our Book Review: A Sense of Urgency.