As an Action Learning Team Coach how would you handle the following situation:
The team took a break less than 15 minutes ago, since returning the energy in the group is very low.
Happy Coaching
Dr. Bea
I would address the group’s lower level of energy by asking: “I noticed that the level of energy dropped since returning from the break. Did someone else notice this too?” I expect a conversation about the level of energy and how to increase it if it is important to the group. If it is not important to the group we continue where we stopped the process. “Who has the next question?”
Like Philipp, I would also want to test my assumption that the group’s energy is low. It might be better to name the behaviors that led me to make this assumption. For example, “I am observing less interaction and people doodling on their notepads since we returned from break. What do these actions indicate about our energy level?” If the team confirms my assumption that the energy is low, I would ask, “What has caused the change?” followed by, “What would we like to do about that?”
If the team does not confirm my assumption, perhaps they are not yet ready to address the issue or I have misinterpreted their behaviors. I would trust the question to work subconsciously and let them move on with, “Who has the next question?” unless their explanation created additional learning opportunities that need to be addressed.
I agree with Donna’s approach. The distinction between Donna’s input and Philipp’s is the degree of learning and subsequent action that might be encouraged.
While Phil’s approach is useful, it might be more useful to be transparent about what you, the coach, are noticing. Naming or labeling the behavior or observation is helpful in that it allows people to identify with the label, choose another label, and define the label(s).
If after the break I noted that the questions being posed were not effective and/or that the responses to the questions were lacking in substance I would intervene. However, I would not bring up the issue of “low energy”. I would not want to deal with that factor (if it really existed) on a direct basis. My concern would solely be to help the group reach consensus and and find adequate solutions for the problem. Therefore, at the beginning of the intervention, I would ask “We seemed to have made great progress before our break and now that we have been back and working for the past ___ minutes how do you think we are doing?” This question would be asked of each member of the group. This should elicit any issues that may have contributed to ‘low energy’. If this was the case, after the discussion, the next question would of course be “How can we do better?” If on the other hand the group does not reveal any reasons for what I presume may be ‘low energy’ I would simply ask who has the next question? Psychologically, just the intervention and asking the question ‘How are we doing’ should stimulate the group to attack the problem with more concern and effort.
I’d be mindful about my own perception of ‘their low energy’. There could be many reasons for forming that perception, e.g., they might be engaged more in deep self reflection on some difficult questions hence fewer interactions, or I might even be projecting my low own energy onto the group!
If it’s not clear to me that they have reached consensus of the problem, I’d intervene and ask about that. Or, about 20min or so after the group resumed from break, I might just ask the group general questions such as ‘How was the group doing?’. I believe these could possibly bring out the energy issue if any, or raise the energy level of the group without naming it.
If I really have a strong intuition about low energy in the group, continued for some time and not brought to the group’s awareness, I’d pay attention to particular behaviors that led me form that perception, e.g., fewer questions, someone looked sleepy, shared my observation, and asked ‘what might these behaviours indicate about how the group is doing?’
I would be careful not to pass judgment on the team but to ask questions like “How are we doing as a team?, “What are we doing well?”, “What can we do better?” If the team is stuck, I would ask if there is a tool or mechanism to help them move forward. I may also see if the team needs a minute to write down more questions.
if i make a comment about “low energy,” it could be construed as a judgment on the team. what’s low evergy to me might be “thoughful reflection” to others. thus, i might ask the team to rate the energy level and see what the team thinks. if they say it is indeed low, i might then ask them for suggestions on what to do. another break? just not a good day..let’s end a bit early? and so on.
another idea is to have a couple of exercises up your sleeve to use at times like this. one is, “who can ask the riskiest question?” or, “describe the work of the team using only weather related terms” (thank you, val!) or you might split the team into pairs and have them practice asking who can ask the highest number of questions in 60 secoonds, etc.
the idea is to get them doing something a/l related but just a bit off topic that might stimulate their thinking and bring up the energy level a bit.
I appreciate Phil’s response. For me, it provides the opportunity for the group to assess the situation and, based on that assessment, move forward. And it takes away the issue of the coach suggesting his/her interpretation of the dynamics.
I believe I would ask the team how they perceive the energy to be among the group. If okay, let them continue. If they acknowledge it is low, I might ask them to consider discussing some actions that may help increase the energy, e.g. taking a break, standing up and drawing their thoughts on the board, etc. Essentially, I would leave it up to them to discuss and determine if the energy is low and what to do about it.
Great responses! Personally I would do the 3 standard coaching questions (How are we doing? What are we doing well? what can we do better?) If no one mentions the energy level? I would follow this with – how is our energy level. If the team is fine with it – I have to be fine with it. If the team mentions it seems low – I would ask them what they want to do about it? If they choose to do something about it (I had a team that opted to get rid of the chairs and stand until they all woke up).
Much like most have commented, the question I would pose is ‘How are we doing as a group? I agree that mentioning the group’s low energy may be imposing my preception of what I think is going on. As Dr. Bea mentioned, the standard questions are most useful and creates a sense of awareness and reflection.
I lik Sharon’s approach and not passing judgment but rather take direction from the group on how they feel it is going. I would ask how the team thinks we’re doing and progress from there….what are we doing well and what could we do better. It may also help to ask if we have consensus on the problem (perhaps the lack of energy is an indication that they are ready to move into the next phase). I would then ask who has the next question.
I like all of the responses posted to this one, and particularly the reminder that labeling it as low energy can be construed as a judgment. I might simply ask “What are you noticing about the energy of our group?” “What impact is our energy having on our objective?”…or “….on our work together today?”
I would intervene and ask the group “how are we doing?” – 1 to 10 scale, and the follow up with the 2 questions. If that does not elicit some suggestions that lead to greater involvement and engagement with the problem, after a suitable time I might ask if we have agreement on the problem. If there is not agreement I would follow up with a question about the quality of our questions and perhaps a question about what the group is trying to accomplish.
I actually ran into this during one of my “certification sessions”. I mentioned that I noticed a low energy level. No one said anything for almost a minute. Finally someone said that he was thinking about the issue. It turned out that the group was at a quiet, self-reflective point. My perception did not meet their reality. Like many have said here, we have to be careful to ask questions that impose our perceptions rather than gauging the group’s reality. Asking questions like Donna’s would elicit constructive responses that would lead both the coach and the group to the actual issue and resolution.
For me, as a AL coach, at first, i will ask the team how about the energy among the group now? If okay, let them continue. If they acknowledge it is low, I might ask them to taking a break, standing up and drawing their thoughts on the board, etc.
I would look at the remaining time we have left and see how to reconnect the team to the purpose of the session. I would ask ‘ We have XX time left together today, I am noticing since returning from break that the energy is lower. I am curious has anyone else noticed this? What is the impact of the team? What do we want to do to make the most of our remaining time together? What do people need?
Philipp Werenfels
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I would address the group’s lower level of energy by asking: “I noticed that the level of energy dropped since returning from the break. Did someone else notice this too?” I expect a conversation about the level of energy and how to increase it if it is important to the group. If it is not important to the group we continue where we stopped the process. “Who has the next question?”
Reply
Donna Christophersen
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Like Philipp, I would also want to test my assumption that the group’s energy is low. It might be better to name the behaviors that led me to make this assumption. For example, “I am observing less interaction and people doodling on their notepads since we returned from break. What do these actions indicate about our energy level?” If the team confirms my assumption that the energy is low, I would ask, “What has caused the change?” followed by, “What would we like to do about that?”
If the team does not confirm my assumption, perhaps they are not yet ready to address the issue or I have misinterpreted their behaviors. I would trust the question to work subconsciously and let them move on with, “Who has the next question?” unless their explanation created additional learning opportunities that need to be addressed.
Reply
David Troupe
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I agree with Donna’s approach. The distinction between Donna’s input and Philipp’s is the degree of learning and subsequent action that might be encouraged.
While Phil’s approach is useful, it might be more useful to be transparent about what you, the coach, are noticing. Naming or labeling the behavior or observation is helpful in that it allows people to identify with the label, choose another label, and define the label(s).
Reply
Phil Cohen
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If after the break I noted that the questions being posed were not effective and/or that the responses to the questions were lacking in substance I would intervene. However, I would not bring up the issue of “low energy”. I would not want to deal with that factor (if it really existed) on a direct basis. My concern would solely be to help the group reach consensus and and find adequate solutions for the problem. Therefore, at the beginning of the intervention, I would ask “We seemed to have made great progress before our break and now that we have been back and working for the past ___ minutes how do you think we are doing?” This question would be asked of each member of the group. This should elicit any issues that may have contributed to ‘low energy’. If this was the case, after the discussion, the next question would of course be “How can we do better?” If on the other hand the group does not reveal any reasons for what I presume may be ‘low energy’ I would simply ask who has the next question? Psychologically, just the intervention and asking the question ‘How are we doing’ should stimulate the group to attack the problem with more concern and effort.
Reply
ronney
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I’d be mindful about my own perception of ‘their low energy’. There could be many reasons for forming that perception, e.g., they might be engaged more in deep self reflection on some difficult questions hence fewer interactions, or I might even be projecting my low own energy onto the group!
If it’s not clear to me that they have reached consensus of the problem, I’d intervene and ask about that. Or, about 20min or so after the group resumed from break, I might just ask the group general questions such as ‘How was the group doing?’. I believe these could possibly bring out the energy issue if any, or raise the energy level of the group without naming it.
If I really have a strong intuition about low energy in the group, continued for some time and not brought to the group’s awareness, I’d pay attention to particular behaviors that led me form that perception, e.g., fewer questions, someone looked sleepy, shared my observation, and asked ‘what might these behaviours indicate about how the group is doing?’
Reply
Sharon Swinburn
| #
I would be careful not to pass judgment on the team but to ask questions like “How are we doing as a team?, “What are we doing well?”, “What can we do better?” If the team is stuck, I would ask if there is a tool or mechanism to help them move forward. I may also see if the team needs a minute to write down more questions.
Reply
charles jones
| #
if i make a comment about “low energy,” it could be construed as a judgment on the team. what’s low evergy to me might be “thoughful reflection” to others. thus, i might ask the team to rate the energy level and see what the team thinks. if they say it is indeed low, i might then ask them for suggestions on what to do. another break? just not a good day..let’s end a bit early? and so on.
another idea is to have a couple of exercises up your sleeve to use at times like this. one is, “who can ask the riskiest question?” or, “describe the work of the team using only weather related terms” (thank you, val!) or you might split the team into pairs and have them practice asking who can ask the highest number of questions in 60 secoonds, etc.
the idea is to get them doing something a/l related but just a bit off topic that might stimulate their thinking and bring up the energy level a bit.
Reply
DrBea
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From Larry
I appreciate Phil’s response. For me, it provides the opportunity for the group to assess the situation and, based on that assessment, move forward. And it takes away the issue of the coach suggesting his/her interpretation of the dynamics.
Reply
DrBea
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From Tom
I believe I would ask the team how they perceive the energy to be among the group. If okay, let them continue. If they acknowledge it is low, I might ask them to consider discussing some actions that may help increase the energy, e.g. taking a break, standing up and drawing their thoughts on the board, etc. Essentially, I would leave it up to them to discuss and determine if the energy is low and what to do about it.
Reply
DrBea
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Great responses! Personally I would do the 3 standard coaching questions (How are we doing? What are we doing well? what can we do better?) If no one mentions the energy level? I would follow this with – how is our energy level. If the team is fine with it – I have to be fine with it. If the team mentions it seems low – I would ask them what they want to do about it? If they choose to do something about it (I had a team that opted to get rid of the chairs and stand until they all woke up).
Reply
Christina Reis
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Much like most have commented, the question I would pose is ‘How are we doing as a group? I agree that mentioning the group’s low energy may be imposing my preception of what I think is going on. As Dr. Bea mentioned, the standard questions are most useful and creates a sense of awareness and reflection.
Reply
Tracey Odenwelder
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I lik Sharon’s approach and not passing judgment but rather take direction from the group on how they feel it is going. I would ask how the team thinks we’re doing and progress from there….what are we doing well and what could we do better. It may also help to ask if we have consensus on the problem (perhaps the lack of energy is an indication that they are ready to move into the next phase). I would then ask who has the next question.
Reply
Valerie Lingeman
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I like all of the responses posted to this one, and particularly the reminder that labeling it as low energy can be construed as a judgment. I might simply ask “What are you noticing about the energy of our group?” “What impact is our energy having on our objective?”…or “….on our work together today?”
Reply
Anne Teresa
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I would intervene and ask the group “how are we doing?” – 1 to 10 scale, and the follow up with the 2 questions. If that does not elicit some suggestions that lead to greater involvement and engagement with the problem, after a suitable time I might ask if we have agreement on the problem. If there is not agreement I would follow up with a question about the quality of our questions and perhaps a question about what the group is trying to accomplish.
Reply
Jason Roberts
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I actually ran into this during one of my “certification sessions”. I mentioned that I noticed a low energy level. No one said anything for almost a minute. Finally someone said that he was thinking about the issue. It turned out that the group was at a quiet, self-reflective point. My perception did not meet their reality. Like many have said here, we have to be careful to ask questions that impose our perceptions rather than gauging the group’s reality. Asking questions like Donna’s would elicit constructive responses that would lead both the coach and the group to the actual issue and resolution.
Reply
FAN CHEN
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For me, as a AL coach, at first, i will ask the team how about the energy among the group now? If okay, let them continue. If they acknowledge it is low, I might ask them to taking a break, standing up and drawing their thoughts on the board, etc.
Reply
colette cahalane
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I would look at the remaining time we have left and see how to reconnect the team to the purpose of the session. I would ask ‘ We have XX time left together today, I am noticing since returning from break that the energy is lower. I am curious has anyone else noticed this? What is the impact of the team? What do we want to do to make the most of our remaining time together? What do people need?
Reply
Quang Truc Le
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As an AL Coach, I would intervene following the S.I.D model:
S: ‘Hello team, how is your energy level right now on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is very low and 10 is very high?’
[Team member(s) respond]
I: ‘How does the energy level impact the team’s performance?’
[Team member(s) respond]
D: ‘What can we do to improve the team’s energy in the next period?’
[Team member(s) respond]
‘Thank you, who has the nest question?’
Reply