The Art of Meaningful Gatherings
Five Pillars for Better Workplace Collaboration
At work we spend countless hours in meetings, workshops, and collaborative sessions. Yet, how often do these gatherings truly achieve their potential?
Drawing from our insights as experienced facilitators, here are five key pillars for transforming your workplace gatherings from routine obligations into spaces for productive collaboration and useful struggles.
1. Purposeful Framing
The names and framing we give our gatherings create social contracts with participants. As fellow facilitator Priya Parker notes, these aren't just labels – they're promises about what will happen in the space we're creating.
When we default to process-focused names like "weekly status update," we unconsciously limit the potential of our gatherings. Conversely, when we name gatherings based on their intended outcome (like "team alignment session"), we create different expectations and energy.
💡Try This
Begin each gathering by explicitly stating its purpose in outcome-focused language. Instead of calling it a "project review," try "project acceleration session" or "roadblock removal meeting." The name should describe what will be different after people leave the room.
2. Curious Facilitation
Curious facilitation means moving from being advice-driven to curiosity-led, where the facilitator's role transforms from answer-provider to coach.
It’s important because when facilitators jump to providing answers, they inadvertently shut down deeper exploration and limit participation. But when they stay curious for longer, they can create space for richer, more diverse perspectives to emerge.
💡Try This
When someone asks for a solution, respond with a thoughtful question. For instance, if someone asks "How should we decide between these options?" ask them "What feels important when comparing potential solutions to this problem?" This opens up deeper conversation and invites more voices in - putting it back on the group.
3. Meeting Arcs
This insight on modern meeting design comes from an unexpected place – Netflix binging habits. Some experts advise gogglebox addicts to watch from the middle-to-middle of episodes in order to break the addictive engagement loop.
Drawing from this learning, we can conclude that meetings would be more engaging if we make sure they have clear openings and closings. Without them, they can feel incomplete or unsatisfying. We need to think about creating proper arcs in our collaborative sessions.
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Have a ritual for opening the meeting (like a quick check-in round) and one for closing it (like a one-word reflection). Think of them as bookends that hold the space for what happens in between.
4. Useful Struggles
Mike Woolcock's concept of "useful struggles" describes the creative tension and dissent that good teams need to thrive. It's about creating environments where constructive disagreement isn't just allowed but actively encouraged and supported.
Without these useful struggles, teams default to artificial harmony and miss opportunities for innovation. However, as the saying goes, "you can only be as courageous as you are caring" – these productive tensions only work when built on a foundation of psychological safety and genuine care.
💡Try This
Establish "challenge rounds" in your meetings – designated times where team members are explicitly invited to stress-test ideas. Frame these moments as opportunities for collective growth rather than criticism, You might say, "For the next ten minutes, I'd like to hear specifically from those who see potential problems with this approach."
5. Meaningful Rituals
Rituals are "constraints with purpose that lead to a meaningful moment." They're structured practices that create containers for collaboration and connection.
Without rituals, gatherings can feel shapeless and lack memorable moments. Well-designed rituals create rhythm and meaning, helping people engage more deeply and embrace the useful struggles that drive innovation.
💡Try This
Create transition moments between different parts of your meeting. This could be as simple as a one-minute silence for reflection, a speed round of the ‘list game’ or a quick stand-and-stretch break. These small rituals help people mentally shift gears and stay engaged with the creative tension that drives good teamwork.
Conclusion
When we thoughtfully apply these five pillars, we can transform our gatherings from annoying calendar events into opportunities for meaningful connection and productive work.
For more inspiration on gatherings, check out these pieces on Fishbowl Facilitation and Lean Coffee.
⚡️ If you’re keen to learn more about improving your organization's meetings, we’d love to speak with you about our Fix Your Meetings program where we dismantle and rebuild your meeting culture from the ground up for true transformation