the power of sharing circles

I've learned a lot over the past few years, and if I could go back in time to my previous roles, I would do things a little differently. And I would start with team meetings:

At least once a week, we would have formed a circle. No boardroom tables, no phones, no slides. We'd just sit in our chairs (or stand) in a circle and talk about either our plans for the week, a look back at the week, or something that matters to us or that we need to get out. The benefits:

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸. How? By passing around a "talking object"; meaning, nobody else is speaking other than the one holding it. In my workshops, we use an eagle feather that was gifted to me by a community member in Fort St. James, BC - but really, it could be anything.

𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀. I used to think that if someone paused too long while speaking, that they were struggling to find the words and felt uncomfortable, so I would "help" by finishing their thought or sentence, thereby interrupting them. Sometimes we're just reflecting on what we want to say. If we're still holding the feather or object, we're not done.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆. Without a desk, phone, or slide, we're really focusing on the person who's speaking and listening with intent and interest.

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If you want to pass, you can! Simply move the talking object on, which tells everyone you're not ready to contribute but you are still listening. You don't need to say or explain anything.

Teams need to work together, in collaboration. That means giving each other time just as you would do for your clients or customers.