Teaming and Difficult Conversations

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Teaming and Difficult Conversations

• OrRTI Sustaining Training
• June 1st, 2007

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Five Characteristics
Results
Accountable
Commitment
Conflict Capable
Trust
3
Trust

• What are issues that your team might encounter
  that are based on trust.

4
Conflict Capable

• What experiences has your team had that have
  tested your conflict capability?
• What skills did someone use to address the
  conflict?

5
Commitment

• Has your team identified its purpose?
• Does the team represent stakeholders in the
  school?
• Is there commitment to
• The team itself?
• To the teams purpose (children)?

6
Accountable

• Is there a clear agenda and purpose for each
  meeting?
• Is the role of each person defined?
• When preparation is required, is it complete for
  the meeting?
• Is there a mechanism for fixing accountability
  problems?
• Does the team take responsibility for maintaining
  itself?

7
Results

• Does the team get to the core of its purpose and
  evaluate outcomes?
• Does the team encourage, plan, and celebrate
  together?

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How Teams Go South

• Meetings
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Decision-making
• Handling conflict

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Critical Elements for Meetings

• Purpose
• Attention to structure
• Agenda
• Topic outcomes
• Content vs. process
• Clarity about meeting roles
• Meeting closure

10
Decision Making

• Know your desired outcomes
• Stakeholder buy-in, time frames
• Level of decision-making needed to reach desired
  outcome
• Frame problems broadly
• Set criteria for evaluating options
• Separate generating options from judging options
• Have back-up strategies if agreement is elusive
  (for consensus decisions)

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A communication strategy

• DARE
• Data (I notice. . .)
• Assumptions (I think it must be that. . .)
• Reaction (I feel. . .)
• Expectations (I bring this up so that. . .)