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The Power of Introductions Susan Parks Communications Programming Inc. As all facilitators know, one of the most critical factors to successful sessions is open, candid discussion by all participants. Yet this type of discussion is often difficult to achieve. There are several barriers: participants may not work together or know each other, there may not be a level of trust or knowledge of individual expertise, or participants may have a one-dimensional view of each other. Effective facilitators must break these barriers so that the objectives of the session can be met. To do this, all three components of group dynamics - tasks, relationships, and processes - must be addressed. Since facilitators and participants are most familiar and comfortable with tasks, it is where we spend most of our time and effort. Yet, most team theorists agree that between 5% and 10% of the entire time that a group is together should be spent on "team formation" activities - those related to group process and relationship building. If this is done, then the time spent on tasks - brainstorming, consensus building, decision making, analyzing - will be more effective. An easy way for facilitators to pay more attention to group processes and relationships is to use the effective but often overlooked tool of the introduction. Introductions serve many purposes. At a minimum, they provide basic information (name, department) and define roles (job title, responsibility). At the most, they provide insight (expectations, feelings, expertise) and engender friendship and trust (values, interests, personal life). There are many types of introduction exercises from which to choose. Here are a few: Ask participants to state their names, area of responsibility, # of years with the company, expectations for the session, and a one-word description of themselves. Write the expectations on a flip chart; keep a running total of the # of years of experience. Purpose: a low risk introduction to use when the group is first getting together; provides participants with basic information; gives group a sense of the group's total experience level; gives the facilitator insight into what to expect. Pair up the participants, preferably with people they don't know. Ask participants to interview each other on several topics: name, title, expected contribution to the session, family, home, hobbies, interests. Each interviewer introduces his partner to the group. Purpose: a fun, non-threatening way to get participants to open up more and to get to know each other on many levels, including non-work areas; especially useful if the group is going to meet over a long period of time; encourages individuals to put "skin in the game" during the session by focusing on what they bring to the table. Ask participants to share an observation about a previous session - something they learned, a question, a metaphor to describe their feelings, or a symbol that describes the progress of the group. Purpose: a way to build on relationships, provide continuity between sessions, check for understanding, demonstrate expertise, provide insight into how participants are feeling and relating to each other. Provide participants with a situation: "If you had a dinner party and could invite anyone (living or dead), who would it be? Why?" or "In your next life, what (animal, person, thing) would you like to be reincarnated as? Why?" Purpose: provides sharing of values and interests; helps others to know how they think, feel and make decisions; a fun way to help people be seen in a "non-work" role. Some tips on using introductions: Do some sort of introduction at the start of each session Start with "low risk" introductions, until the group has "jelled"; gradually move to introductions that reveal more about the participants Pick people from various locations in the room when soliciting volunteers; don't "go around the room" and let the person at the very end of the line get nervous waiting for his or her turn Make introductions fun and non-threatening Listen to what is said, and use the information to ensure session success. In summary, introductions accomplish many things for the session participants - they break the ice, help form relationships and trust, and provide information to help the team form and norm. For facilitators, introductions also add value by providing insight into participant personality, interest level, and biases. They encourage buy-in to the process and assist in the review of concepts and issues. Introductions are powerful tools that every facilitator should exploit. § © 1993-1998 Copyright All rights reserved