Let’s face it relationships are essential at work. We may not be best friends with everyone we work with but when we have a good relationship with our colleagues it really helps make work more enjoyable and we can achieve more together when we like and respect each other. When teams practice The Fish Philosophy we always start with the foundation principle of Be There. This is where individuals choose to set aside distractions and not pre-judge a situation or person without first having a conversation and actually listen while having these conversations.
When teams practice Be There it helps them to connect more with each other. People start to realize that we all have things in common and it is these commonalities that bring us together and help us to build trust and respect. Being there also allows people to start to understand that we all have our owns things going on in our lives so don’t be so quick or harsh to judge a person or a behaviour. There may very well be a good reason why your colleague or customer is upset, sad, or frustrated.
Like with all other skills in life, we need to practice Being There and these conversation cards are an excellent activity that you can incorporate into either face-to-face or online meetings. Pair up and select a conversation card with 2 options (A&B). The pair then reads their cards and completed the conversation as outlined on each corresponding card.
We find that this activity opens gives teams time to connect and learn more about each other while using the four practices of FISH! Teams that are more introverted will enjoy this activity since it is one that can be practiced in smaller groups. You can choose to have each pair share further details with the team or debrief some key highlights. Either way, you are creating meaningful conversations and building relationships.