This is a 60-minute team workshop to deepen understanding of team members’ communication profiles. Use this article to prepare for and facilitate this
session with your team or a client team.
What you’ll need before you start
Everyone completes the Growth Leader Assessment
Team Manager forms teams and generates Growth Leader Team Report
The facilitator reviews the Facilitator Guide and prepares for a 60-minute Team Play
Facilitator Guide
1. Set the stage (5 min)
Explain that the purpose of this play is to increase team members' understanding by getting to know everyone’s communication approach better and that there is no right or wrong approach.
Ask the team if they have any questions or concerns - this play only works if everyone feels comfortable being open about themselves!
2. Introduce the 9 communication profiles (30 min)
a. Open the Growth Leader Team Profile and click on the 3x3
b. Describe the 2 axes: Creativity and Connection
The horizontal axis is about preferences for Creativity. People on the right like to generate many new and interesting ideas, many of which are Imaginative and not very practical. They are open to ideas. People on the left are more practical in their creativity and like to generate fewer Practical ideas that can be implemented.
The vertical axis is about preferences for Connection. People at the top of the axis prefer a Relationship connection, by understanding the other person, their values and views. People at the bottom of the axis prefer a Task connection, by understanding the status, issues, root causes, and actions needed. This focus impacts the information they consider when making decisions.
c. Explain what the 4 core profiles are (no need to go into detail)
d. Then you have 4 profiles that are a combination of 2
e. Finally in the middle is a profile that doesn’t show a preference for the others but may vary depending on the context.
f. Now ask team members to guess which profile best describes each team member. This should be a fun and energizing conversation. You can point to a box and say “Who is likely to prefer this approach”?
g. After this, mouse of each profile to reveal who is best characterized by this profile. Ask the person to read the description and say what best describes them and whether anything there does not describe them.
3. Explore Implications (15 min)
Ask these questions:
How are we similar or different from one another in terms of our preferences for communication?
How does this help or hinder us?
4. Agree on an Action or Goal (10 min)
Ask the team to identify one action they can take in the next month to leverage insights from this conversation. Enter an action statement or goal in the “Plan” tab in the Team Impact Board