Build Trust, in Teams, with Clients
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Camilla Dahle presents a masterclass on building trust in teams and with clients. The presentation covers: creating trust through open communication; understanding team dynamics using models like Tuckman's stages and the Johari Window; the importance of inclusion and seeing all members as part of the team; and using cases to demonstrate how improved communication can help teams perform better even in difficult situations. Attendees participate in exercises to identify challenges and opportunities in their own teams and discuss actions to increase trust through improved collaboration.
Build Trust, in Teams, with Clients
- 1. In teams, with clients! BUILD TRUST! CAMILLA DAHLE
- 2. What this masterclass will be about: - Creating trust in teams - Who is the team? - Team dynamics - Cases - DIY - workshop
- 4. Recognise this ? - Doing your own thing - not feeling heard - micromanaging - bulldozers - talking about others - silos and exclusion - guarding areas ... other examples?
- 5. Teamwork + client = ++wonderfully frustrating Teamwork = wonderfully frustrating
- 6. (This workshop won't solve your issues) ... But it might hint at how to manage them
- 7. What is a team? "A team is a group of individuals working together to achieve a goal"
- 8. What do you need for a team to work well?
- 9. All are seen and heard!
- 10. Open, considerate communication = trust & respect
- 14. Help out - focus on collaboration
- 15. Establish norms of collaboration
- 16. It minimises negative work impact
- 17. .. good relationships actually make us happier and healthier* *Grant & Glueck Study - Harvard
- 18. WHO IS THE TEAM?
- 19. The people working in the same project, for the same client?
- 20. Clients as part of the team ?
- 21. The client participants: Team or stakeholders
- 22. "We" vs "them"
- 25. ... and the client is just another human being
- 26. We are in the same boat - we work towards the same goal!
- 27. Dare to share
- 28. TEAM DYNAMICS
- 35. So how can we help build good team dynamics?
- 37. The Johari Window: examples Public Arena Organised Helpful Facade Idealistic Creative Arena Unknown area Freeze up in an emergency Blind spot Seem like an extrovert
- 38. The Johari Window: with feedback FEEDBACK EXPOSURE Arena
- 39. What is meant with feedback?
- 40. Project feedback
- 42. It takes skill, So train often!
- 44. The same event = Two experiences
- 45. Team focused Goal focused Talk to think Convinced by facts Think to talk Convinced by emotions
- 46. How do YOU understand best? What motivates YOU most? How do YOU prefer to communicate?
- 47. CASES
- 49. Case #1 "Good product, bad team handling" 7. Eventually the project was delivered, but during the project two people ended with work leave due to stress, and the client expectations were still not handled properly, ending the project on a bit of a sour note. 1. The team was set up well, good kickoff, nice team feeling 2. Work started, fun together 3. After some working it turned out that the client and the team did not communicate clearly with each other, the team communicated with different voices and not always with each other 4. Handling the expectations from the client were not anyone's responsibility, which created frustrations on client side - "'THEY' were unreasonable." 5. Holidays kicked in, so the client and several team members were no longer available. 6. After the holidays things needed to be picked up again, but there was no central person to do this.
- 50. Case #1 "Good product, bad team handling" There were no-one with the mandate to make decisions handling the discussions with the client, resulting in stress spreading in the team. The communication within the agency team was not transparent, nor was it a priority for all members. The project was initially positive and we could have built on that, since we did have the structure for it. As a team that had not worked together before, the trust had not yet been built, however with effort it could have been.
- 51. Case #2: "Difficult product, good team" 6. At the end, the project went through difficulties, little time, large scope & personal challenges, but because the team had maintained good communication throughout, the stress levels were managable, and continued to set an example 1. The team was already set up as I joined including clear responsibilities, and was renowned as a great example of teamwork In general the team feeling was excellent due regurlar retros/ feedback loops + a good relationship with the client. 2. The product had after a while become something that didn't motivate the team members any longer, it felt like the product was on the wrong path. Instead of having daily standups it had been replaced by digital ones, which didn't really engage anyone 3. We started having daily standups, which turned into vital parts of the team communication. 4. Another thing was to engage all team members in what was ongoing no matter if it was design or backend work. This did not mean endless meetings, but short chats together, feeling included and listened to. 5. Finally we insisted on total (almost) transparency towards the client, creating a lot of trust.
- 52. Case #2: "Difficult product, good team" As the team setup was already clarified, there was a high resiliance in handling stressful situations. By increasing the face-to-face communication and including the team in all ongoing work, it created an efficient and proactive team The times there were problems, it was due to communication issues, not being 100% transparent or asking for help. When the shit hit the fan, the team had so much positive surpluss that it prevented a large part of the stress.
- 53. DIY
- 54. What to do to start building a team culture
- 55. Set up norms for the team Single point of interest for communication Shared, regular, communication Team activities: social and work Give feedback regularly Celebrate your successeses together
- 56. For example 3 things you can do today: 1. Common slack channels + trello 2. Share what you do daily (standup) 3. Take a break together (lunch, fika) - include the client :)
- 57. The next step is working more with group dynamics ... - here are 2 examples of situations where you can set up norms
- 58. Meetings & workshops Structure discussions to hear all Deliberately lift other's points Add time to think Chance to prepare Designated facilitators Brainwriting
- 59. Push back on work Tackle it in the team, find solutions Be open/honest with the client Lift it early in the syncs Support with perspectives Facilitate the discussion in team Estimate as a team
- 60. First a little warm-up
- 61. Test a simple share/feedback loop (a checkin): 1. Tell the person next to you 3 things that brought you here today 2. Swap
- 62. Give feedback to the other person: How did it make you feel? What did you learn?
- 63. Over to you ...
- 64. What team(s) are YOU in?
- 65. Test-A-Team You, role, product, team, 5 mins
- 66. "What challenges are you facing in your team?" - 5 min on post-its - share in your group
- 67. Group discussion: How can TRUST be increased in your team? Take turns, 5 mins
- 68. Feedback! Your group answers "What could you do to improve the team work?" - 5 min on post-its - share in your group
- 69. Next steps: Create a list of action points Sort by WHEN to do them - group discussion - 5 min presentation for all
- 70. CHECKOUT
- 71. SUMMARY By deliberately facilitating team dynamics, Through improved communication In the extended team including the client Trust and resilience is increased - often creating improved results
Editor's Notes
- #2: Today I will be talking about building trust - as part of building teams Often when we talk about team we focus on who does what, WHAT the common GOAL is, i.e. the frame of the work. I am focusing today on the team building side of things, not the content of the work. The aim for a good team is To surpass the basic team, where you 'play next to each other' And start creating synergies, where 1+1=3
- #5: - things that don't create trust in teams
- #8: First there is the team framework, who does what, and a basic understanding of WHAT the common GOAL is. I am focusing today on the team building side of things, not the goal. To surpass the basic team, where you 'play next to each other' And start creating synergies, where 1+1=3 We need to understand HOW you work TOGETHER - this normally also trigger people going from REACTIVE to PROACTIVE. Making the ball roll!
- #9: Prerequisities for great team collaboration : the 'soft' elements,
- #10: This is the most important part of a team - acknowledging ALL members in a team, no-one is invisible! Every team member must be seen & heard! There are a number of techniques for this, facilitating the conversations throughout the project, which can help many issues
- #11: This in turn has a tendency to produce more open and considerate communication, which allows people to be more honest about what they really think. AND A TEAM's SUCCESS AS a TEAM RESTS ON THIS - Because it creates: TRUST - RESPECT - through understanding the team members competence and personalities (differences/likheter)
- #12: Homo ludens - humans like to play as a way of tightening the social bonds - so playfullness is an essential element of team building. By that I mean the daily joke, having fun with your team members ... Both as icebreaker, creating a safe space or as a way of building YOUR team culture
- #13: Making the effort will create trust. This is the goal - you don't have to be best friends - to trust another team member. But you will need TRUST to BECOME friends :) https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-build-customer-trust-9-rules.html 1. Be yourself. 2. Value the relationship. 3. Be curious about people. 4. Be consistent. 5. Seek the truth. 6. Keep an open mind. 7. Have a real dialog. 8. Be a professional. 9. Show real integrity.
- #14: INCLUDE your team members in your work and thought processes - It doesn't mean endless meetings, in fact it optimises the work! Include each other in short syncs & share thoughts, others almost always have thoughts you don't.
- #15: This may be obvious - but simply helping each other out in times of need, even with the smallest things, clean up, pick up coffee, get paper It can help towards people feeling threatened by others
- #16: So to make sure these things happen, it needs to be set up. Like "helping out" Otherwise a team will fall back into the common struggles with badly balanced, badly communicating teams, pulling in different directions
- #17: And one of the important reasons OTHER than efficiency - is the human COST of a malfunctioning team A well functioning team Has Your Back - and can soften the blow in dealing with stress or problems.
- #18: Grant & Glueck Study/ Harvard http://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/grantandglueckstudy
- #19: First we need to determine who the team IS - to clearly define "WE"
- #20: Where do the borders go of who is IN the team and NOT ? If we start with the agency view: the WE are normally counted as the ones working In the same project - is this true ? For the same client - is this true ? Anyone else? We can set up a team any way we want pr team - as long as we agree on the goal and the team :)
- #21: Beyond our own coworkers in our company - the client is also part of the team, They work towards the same goal for the project, right ? What are the pros and cons with this ? It can feel intimidating or like feel like the client doesn't trust our competence There can be a feeling of misbalance of power (they order you) Clients can feel the same way!
- #22: Just as important as understanding who IS in the team - is it to understand who is NOT anyone who doesn't have a day-to-day connection + has practical say in the project stakeholders, who will
- #23: This can easily create a feeling of WE vs THEM: Thinking this way is built in to our systems from an early age, even as toddlers, We have a strong preference for 'people who are like me' https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/06/23/wired-for-kindness-science-shows-we-prefer-compassion-and-our-capacity-grows-with-practice/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0330e3842d3b
- #24: if there is a culture of talking ABOUT the client rather than WITH them, this will be felt - and results in lowered trust levels on both sides
- #25: Just as we have an inkling for feeling connected to people 'like me' we ALSO have an incling to feel compassion and empathy for strangers, if they are in trouble: Both inklings can manipulated - to increase GAPS between people OR to increase the sense of WE
- #26: I think the focus should be here :) That we are people, not products or roles.
- #27: The project goal is the same for the whole team, including the client! When we understand each other as people and give space to hearing / seeing one another - it will create another level of trust, which both creates better products, potential for more assignments and people feeling motivated on both sides.
- #28: This is my challenge to myself - and to you. Dare to share your opinions, your honest opinions of the value of what we do - and the potentials. Be human.
- #30: One very famous team theory that is very useful to understand the stages a team moves through Is the Tuckman Model, This is based on countless interviews with teams & was done in 1965 by Bruce Tuckman It was modified further by Susan Wheelan in the early 90s, this is the version we used mostly in ustwo
- #31: A short stage, where the main focus is to understand what we are going to do and what our role in it is. If not managed the period will contain
- #32: The stage where the differences between team members show up, and conflicts often emerge. Conflict is necessary to establish trust and a climate in which members feel free to disagree with each other. The team moves forward by communication and working through the conflicts
- #33: An efficient stage where the norms are agreed on and the team knows/respects each others competences A certain amount of trust, and many teams don't move beyond this.
- #34: The stage where the team not only work efficiently together, but moves from REACTIVE to PROACTIVE Building on each others' strengths + supporting when the shit hits the fan
- #35: Team dynamics are - dynamic, a work in progress, not all teams will move beyond the storming or the forming. By conscious facilitation the team can develop and move forward
- #37: Invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s A model for personality awareness Helps train in eg interpersonal relationships and communication - The Arena/Open consists of what I know about myself and what others know about me. This includes characteristics of our personality that we more likely choose to be open about. The Blind area represents what I don’t know about myself but others know about me. Something that others see in us that we’re not aware of. The Hidden area represents what I know about myself but others don’t know. Things that we choose to hide from others or to communicate when we feel safe enough. - The Unknown area contains things that nobody knows about me not even myself. This may be because we’ve never exposed those aspects of our personality, or because they’re concealed in the subconscious.
- #39: By TELLING your team members about what is hidden to them about yourself, you expand the Johari window By ASKING questions others find out areas that are blind to yourself
- #40: Positive feedback - not only 'That's great!', but elaborate & listen Negative feedback or bad results : "What can we learn? Or Where did it go wrong?" NOT Who's fault is it ? It's a skill, it takes training
- #41: It's public! Create a safe place, where everyone has a chance to say how things are for them, giving feedback to each other: Focus on mostly positive things, certainly don't give negative, personal feedback as it can be very sensitive in front of peers
- #42: Structure your feedback and be objective, mix the sweet with the sour. Take it when it is fresh, not 3 months later Listen & look for understanding. Train!
- #44: Finally we have the element of behaviours - how people behave and interact with each other based on personal differences introvert/extrovert green/blue/yellow/red Myers-Briggs But - we don't need to measure intimate details .... Because
- #45: What is important is - to acknowledge all people have different preferences, and how we work together supports/facilitates the core behaviours, That there are options to do the same things in different ways, because most people feel best by communicating in their way
- #46: Typical communication differences - classic
- #47: Ask yourself, when working in your teams how do YOU prefer to work and communicate
- #49: My experience with different team setups over the past 12 years both working on the client side and the agency side, Have been interested in the subject as well (I am a Uxer, interested in human behavior) Interested in personal development The following cases are both from the agency side at ustwo, where there has been a focus the past years on building collaborative teams
- #56: Some general pointers - and they won't come all at once, so take it step by step
- #59: Structure to ensure all are heard and not let one or two voices only be heard Help each other - have a strategy to lift each other's points Have time to think Give people time to prepare - but not compulsory
- #60: If the client comes with more work than you have time for, affecting scope Or If the client keeps wanting to change design, affecting time Or If the client has assumed more will be included, affecting scope and time
- #65: Consider for a moment - what teams are YOU in ? If you have several teams, think of the one you spend most time on / want to optimise If you don't have a project, pick your discipline team (UX, AD/VD, FE, STRAT...)
- #66: Try get team feedback: Put yourself in groups of 3 Introduce yourself : name - role in your current team - product you work on - what team If you have several teams, pick the one you spend most time on If you don't have a project, pick your discipline team (UX, AD/VD, FE, STRAT...) 5 mins intro
- #67: 10 mins
- #68: 10 mins total
- #69: 5 mins