VOCAB for Collaboration: How “Work Language” Can Help You Win at Teamwork

Editor's Notes

1. We’ll use this model to frame our talk. A model for conflict resolution and communication. Helpful for teamwork and collaboration in general  About Canfield: https://tedx.usu.edu/portfolio-items/clair-canfield/   TED Talk and forthcoming book 
2. We’ll use this model to frame our talk. A model for conflict resolution and communication. Helpful for teamwork and collaboration in general  About Canfield: https://tedx.usu.edu/portfolio-items/clair-canfield/   TED Talk and forthcoming book 
3. Check ego at door Common goal—work as a team Time to get to know one another  Skillsets, working styles, comfort levels, limitations, etc. Bonding & cohesion  Trust foundational to vulnerability  Permeate team   Felt safe to make mistakes Admitting lack of experience: figure it out together  Accountability and high follow-through  Vulnerability allowed us to be powerful  Decreased anxiety No peacocking   United in face of challenges Safety to share when overwhelmed  Emotional intelligence skills 
4. Recognize there will be many unknowns How project will turn out, what will happen, etc. Vulnerability with group buffers sense of the unknown Sense of humor a must!  We came up with silly nicknames, jokes – serious work but need to laugh Build in time for group processing This takes time but is really important and allows tea to get to a shared understanding Establish a shared vision
5. Boundaries – Canfield defined Boundaries as setting ground rules for acceptable behavior. While it may seem like professional communication should be a skill everyone has in the workplace, even the most skilled communicators benefit from setting up ground rules when working with a group. Setting boundaries basically means we discuss how we will communicate with one another, including basic exchanges of information but also stating our intent and methodology for expressing our feelings and individual needs as the project progressed. This conversation helps avoid ambiguity and misinterpretation. When embarking on our group work, we set aside a time during our first meeting to discuss how our group would work together. That conversation proved to be foundational to our project and saved us a lot of time over the course of our work. We began by discussing our ourselves- such as how we liked to communicate – whether via email, in person, over the phone, texting, etc. And what our work backgrounds were. We then answered several thought questions like “How do I best express my thoughts? How do I deal with disagreement? What skills or strengths do I bring to this group?’ We learned about strengths and weaknesses, communication preferences, and we began a system of building trust by being open about the vulnerabilities that Randy just discussed. We ended up with a matrix like the one you see above. This wasn’t a codified document that we followed, it was simply a way of discussing and visualizing what we all brought to the group. Simply seeing this written down helped to formulate in our heads how to utilize the skills of the group assembled and strategically assign tasks and responsibilities that fit each individual. This saved time and more than anything created a sense of trust that group members knew and valued the skills that each person brought to the group. Boundaries, in this case, were foundational to our efforts.
6. From that discussion, we developed some ground rules for everyone to follow. Even though most of them seem simple, they made a big impact on our group. When we all agree that we will ask for help, it becomes ”Okay” to ask for help. When we write that we will stick to the agenda, we keep to an agenda. Simply writing down rules as a group is impactful. Rules and boundaries establish trust in a group. When all expectations are clearly laid there is no worry that you missed anything or that there are unknown standards that you will be held to. Continually practicing and abiding by the group rules reinforces that trust and helps to build cohesion in your team. Outlining these group agreements naturally lead to designing our communication expectations, which Bianca will tell you more about
7. So our top tips regarding boundaries are to: Take time for reflection at the beginning of the project And Use group agreements to be explicit about how you will work together to reach your goals
8. Recognize there will be many unknowns How project will turn out, what will happen, etc. Vulnerability with group buffers sense of the unknown Sense of humor a must!  We came up with silly nicknames, jokes – serious work but need to laugh Build in time for group processing This takes time but is really important and allows tea to get to a shared understanding Establish a shared vision
9. Recognize there will be many unknowns How project will turn out, what will happen, etc. Vulnerability with group buffers sense of the unknown Sense of humor a must!  We came up with silly nicknames, jokes – serious work but need to laugh Build in time for group processing This takes time but is really important and allows tea to get to a shared understanding Establish a shared vision
10. Canfield defines Acceptance as: embracing reality and letting go of what we can’t control In our group’s recent experience together, we learned a few key lessons about acceptance
11. First – Accept yourself and others as part of the team As mentioned before, we worked together early on to identify, embrace, and employ our individual strengths and skillsets to reach our goals as a group. This helped us build a framework for going forward and to achieve balance within the group. We also realized and accepted responsibilities as part of a team included being objective – there was a time and place set aside for us to make the transition from our role as part of the committee to a role as part of the library and then we were free to add own views and opinions (Staff Day with a moderator)
12. Second – Accept that the process will be fluid and adapt to change Our group came into this project with little to no experience with our given task of strategic planning. So, admittedly we really didn’t know what we were doing. It was necessary for us to learn and progress as a group throughout the entire process. Together, we built foundational knowledge, conducted researched, and took advantage of opportunities to get outside help. Even though we were lucky enough to have outside help, we did not get as much as we would have liked – So, when we did not have experts to weigh in or answer questions, we had to sort of become the experts ourselves. We were always open to suggestions from anyone to help guide our work and would implement suggestions along the way. For example, feedback was gathered various times, like during our Staff Day exercises and with an accompanying google document where everyone was free to analyze, make suggestions, and ask questions about our library-wide goals. We tried different methods to achieve our goals within the group – like with our focus groups – we had two rounds. For the first round, people were invited to one specific group to participate and for the second round, people had the opportunity to attend any and all groups they felt inclined to join. The team also dealt with time constraints around our work or personal schedules also timelines and deadlines which specified parameters for us to deliver a final product. We worked to identify our priorities.
13. Third – Accept that you can’t please everyone Whenever any decision-making involves large groups of people, there is the very likely possibility that there won’t be complete consensus. This was the case in our experience. And we had to continually remind ourselves of this fact. Our suggestion to you whenever you meet with difficulties of this nature in your work, would be to really take feedback seriously. Use it to re-evaluate yourselves and your process, have thoughtful discussions, then reach agreement, and moved on. Trying to make everyone happy can really bog down your progress.
14. In hindsight, we have recognized the importance of developing a means to bridge the gap between what your own group knows and what is understood by the audience or community that you are serving. Having any disconnect like this will hinder your progress. We also recommend that all parties involved in the process strive to work from the same model and take on similar VOCAB – the model should not be isolated to one group if many other people or groups are involved in the outcomes of your decision-making It will also be hugely beneficial to you if you take advantage of outside expertise, but be sure that you are aware of limitations that may be part of any agreement reached with consultants or mentors. Having this information will help identify the most opportune ways to utilize them