Strategies for Building on Team Strengths

Margie Carter, in the book, Developing People, offers a number of strategies for helping teams build on each other’s ideas and strengths. Here is one of them:

“Pass the paper to build on ideas

Whatever the topic, you can divide your staff into small groups so that there is more time for everyone to offer their ideas during your staff meetings. Give each group an identical piece of chart paper, divided into three columns. If the topic is an anti-bias issue, a child guidance issue, health and safety, or a parent concern, label the three columns: Issues Identified, Immediate Response, and Further Plans.

Give each group a scenario related to the topic to discuss and write out their responses to the first column. After some time, have them pass their papers and scenario to the next group and, after reading what the previous group wrote in the first column, begin working on the second. Pass the paper and repeat this process for the third column. Then give each group their original paper to get the benefit of all the other groups’ thinking and consider additional perspectives.”

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