During a recent staff retreat I facilitated, I noticed that certain kinds of conversations sparked noticeably more engagement and positive energy than others. Sometimes the energy began as individual—rooted in pride, curiosity, or gratitude—and other times it was relational, emerging from collaboration, trust, or validation. In both cases, the impact grew, fueling a shared sense of momentum that benefited the entire team.
These “sparky” moments were easy to feel. Team members became more open to learning—from both past experiences and one another—and more connected to their own strengths and motivations. Real-time collaboration felt safer, more meaningful, and more productive.
If you’d like to create similar sparks in your upcoming team conversations, try making contributions that include at least one of these elements:
Explicit appreciation: Acknowledge teammates’ recent actions clearly and specifically.
Humble self-reflection: Share something you’ve learned from your own mistakes, biases, or blind spots.
Curious questions: Ask questions from a place of genuine curiosity. This means letting go of assumptions and simply listening.
Values-based framing: Connect your observations, questions, or ideas to specific values—whether organizational core values or personal ones like excellence, transparency, or respect. This helps remind everyone of the deeper “why.”
Build with “Yes, and…”: When responding to others’ ideas, try building on them—even if you don’t fully agree—rather than unintentionally shutting them down with a “Yes, but…”
Quiet reflection time: Before weighing in a complex issue, suggest a few minutes of silent reflection for all. This helps different types of communicators contribute meaningfully.
Design and celebrate small steps: Especially in uncertain times, incremental improvements and modest directional gains highlight team capabilities and make progress feel more achievable.
Meaningful closings: End meetings with a quick round where each person shares a one-word or one-sentence takeaway, intention, or parting thought. These small moments often generate their own inspiration and sense of recommitment across a team.
