Ivy Sea Tip Series — Strength Tip #6: Use Dialogue to identify fears that squelch your group’s strengths

Discovering and making the most of group strengths carries with it the assumption that the people involved have or can overcome any fears that might hinder their performance in the group.

As with most assumptions, this is a dangerous one to make. Without addressing the fears, the group’s foundation will be compromised or weakened by the fear that might be looming in a team member’s thoughts or over the entire group. (Think of a building on the San Andreas fault that hasn’t been seismically retrofitted, and you’ll get the picture.)

The fear that we’re referring to here might include fear of failing or succeeding, fear of losing status or being visible to your group, fear of working in a new way with new team members, fear of the unknown, etc. Regardless, it’s the fear that disrupts or prevents someone from performing at his or her best level, and diminishes one’s skillfulness or the joy that one gets from his or her work.

Uncloaking these fears can be extremely valuable to the individuals and the group. On the same token, most business teams don’t want a touchy-feely, "let’s talk about our fears" session — and this is not what we’re proposing.

However, a forum in which group members feel comfortable expressing ideas and perspectives in general, knowing that they won’t be vilified later on, is critical for strengthening the group itself, and for uncovering breakthrough ideas. (The opposite of this is a group of people fearful of sharing their opinions, who sooner or later become "yes men and women.")

A well-suited tool for this kind of group-strengthening discussion is Dialogue, a meeting approach in which participants follow guidelines that allow for deeper listening, greater understanding of others’ perspectives and clarification of assumptions. Most important is that Dialogue sessions are safe environments where judgement is nowhere to be seen, heard or felt.

The trust, understanding, layered knowledge and authentic communication that results from Dialogue is priceless in terms of the ideas and momentum that will be generated.

Consider holding a professionally facilitated Dialogue session with your group to discuss a specific topic, to advance and enrich a project, or to address group dynamics. Since Dialogue facilitation is a honed craft, please engage a professional if you are interested in benefiting from this approach.

To learn more about Dialogue, visit your local library or bookstore and read book such as:

• On Dialogue, David Bohm
• Dialogue: Rediscover the Transforming Power of Conversation, Creating & Sustaining Collaborative Partnerships at Work, Linda Ellinor and Glenna Gerard
• Talks and Dialogues, J. Krishnamurti

Contact Ivy Sea directly at (415) 778-3910 or info@ivysea.com to learn how we can help you build your group's strengths through effective communication coaching and visionary brainstorming sessions.

Ivy Sea Consulting Services: This information provides food for thought rather than counsel specifically designed to meet the unique needs of your organization. Visit About Ivy Sea or give us a call to learn how we can help you discover how to make the most of your culture, communication, talents, services, infrastructure and systems to take you to greater levels of mastery and success as an individual, group or organization. How can we help you? We welcome your email inquiry.

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