This article originally appeared in START Connecting in March 2020. 

We, at START, are always trying to make our meetings run more smoothly and effectively, and many of you may share this same goal. With this in mind, we want to summarize some meeting strategies that we learned at an Adaptive Schools training with Carolyn McKanders. These strategies have the shared goal of improving team productivity because they focus on improving listening and communication amongst team members. 

1. No Buts – During team meetings, many of us launch into counter-attack mode. Someone presents their idea in the meeting, and we immediately start our rebuttal, “yes, but…” and provide evidence for why that idea might not work. In Adaptive Schools, there are no but’s. The ultimate goal is to listen and remain open to new ideas. What is the alternative? If you have a different idea to one that was shared, you say, “yes, and…”, then offer your new idea. We’ve had some fun in team meetings where we assign a team member to ring a bell each time someone says “but.” Our experience has been that it happens frequently and the “but” offender is usually unaware that they’ve said it. Whether you take data on your team “but’s” or just become more aware of your habit of rebutting others’ ideas, this strategy can change the way team members interact and improve brainstorming and idea generation.
2. Don’t jump on the table with your idea – This is one of our favorite analogies from the Adaptive Schools training. It’s a small idea with big implications. Often, the problem-solving process is hindered when people become strongly attached to their own ideas. To paraphrase Carolyn McKanders, put your idea on the table, but don’t jump on the table with your idea.  If you end up on top of the table clutching your idea, you lose perspective. That means you are unlikely to be objective or hear critical information that others share. Not only that, you may become so attached to your idea that you miss the opportunity to consider a variety of options.
3. Paraphrasing – Another tool that we learned in Adaptive Schools is the act of paraphrasing. This can be simple, such as reflecting back what was stated by a team member, or it can be more complex, such as paraphrasing the underlying emotion of the speaker, “so you feel that…”.  Paraphrasing can also be deeper, with the paraphraser noticing and articulating an unstated goal of the speaker, “so what’s important to you is…”. While it requires practice, paraphrasing is a tool to improve team communication. It necessitates active listening – one can’t paraphrase without fully listening to the speaker and keeping personal thoughts on hold – and it improves the speaker’s sense of being heard and understood. After the paraphrase occurs, the speaker has the opportunity to clarify any misinterpretations or add additional information. This makes communication more clear, it helps everyone to feel that they have been heard, and it deepens conversations. You might be thinking “do I have to paraphrase everyone all the time?” While the answer is “no,” you should still be listening and paraphrasing in your head whenever someone else is speaking. This assures that you are truly hearing the speaker. When you need clarity, or when you feel that it’s important for the speaker to feel understood, you should use the out-loud paraphrase. As with all other newly learned skills, paraphrasing becomes easier with practice.

These are just a few of the many ideas presented through Adaptive Schools. We hope you will try them out with your team to encourage happy listening and productive team dialogue!

Written by: Jamie Owen-DeSchryver, Ph.D. 

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