Team collaboration › Common situations
My team won't speak up
When people stay quiet in meetings, it's rarely because they've got nothing to say. Usually they've weighed up the cost of saying it, and decided it's not worth it yet.
What's often going on
- People get on, and still check the room before saying "I got that wrong". In the pulse check we call this Polite, Not Yet Safe.
- The real conversation happens afterwards, in twos and threes. That's The Corridor Conversation.
- A few voices fill the space, and the rest wait to be asked.
What helps
- Finding out honestly which it is, before guessing at a fix
- Small, visible moves from the leader, like owning a mistake out loud
- Practising the conversation on the team's real work, not a role-play
For this one, we'd usually start with the Trust Pulse Check, about four minutes, then a 30-minute chat about what it shows.
Take the Trust Pulse Check Talk to us about a teamQuestions
Is it the leader's fault?
Not usually on its own. It's a pattern the whole team settles into, and the whole team can change it.
How quickly does it change?
Teams often notice a difference in the next few meetings. Making it stick is what the day-90 check is for.
Other situations we've worked with:
Decisions keep getting reopenedI've inherited a teamWe've got our engagement survey results. Now what?A change is on its wayAI is arriving faster than our habitsA new or restructured teamThe hard conversations aren't happeningDifferences are pulling the team apartOur leadership team isn't pulling togetherWe want stronger safety leadership
Decisions keep getting reopenedI've inherited a teamWe've got our engagement survey results. Now what?A change is on its wayAI is arriving faster than our habitsA new or restructured teamThe hard conversations aren't happeningDifferences are pulling the team apartOur leadership team isn't pulling togetherWe want stronger safety leadership