Getting new teams to work together is hard. Really. Hard.

Is it because there is so much hype around new Agile teams? Or is it because there is such a focus on “doing things right” (or “doing” Agile right), that we forget about the people actually doing the work? Regardless of the reason, before we can change the way people work... we need to focus on the things that are important for teamwork to work!

We believe that the key to high-performance teams is creating an intentional culture that respects and embraces diversity - whether it be race, gender, class, culture, age, beliefs, language, skills or background. So join us as we explore the Team Canvas – sort of like a Business Model Canvas for teamwork - covering nine essential teamwork elements:

• Purpose - Why we are doing what we are doing?
• People & Roles - What are our names, roles and responsibilities?
• Common goals - What do we as a group want to achieve together?
• Personal goals - What do I as an individual want to achieve?
• Team values - What do we really stand for and believe in?
• Needs and expectations - What do each of us need to be successful in a diverse team?
• Rules & Activities - How do we communicate and keep everyone up to date?
• Strengths & Assets - What skills do we have in the team?
• Weaknesses & Risks - What are the weaknesses we have, as an individual and as a team?

We will walk through our agenda for team lift-offs, facilitation posters and preparation work required, materials needed, and facilitation tips and tricks. All packaged in a handy pocket guide, that you can use to explore tried and tested techniques for each essential element. We will also have an opportunity to practice some of these techniques during the session.

Get ready to lift-off your team in T-minus 10... 9... 8...

People are unique in their ability to use symbols and images to communicate. After all, that is where the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” comes from. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that enhancing your spoken words with pictures improves the chance that others will understand what you are trying to say.

A picture has a way of showing ideas and solutions that would have remained hidden if you hadn’t picked up a pen. But a good picture doesn’t remove the need for words. It reduces the number of words we use so that the ones left behind are the most important…

So why is visual thinking so important?

Recent studies show that 65% of people learn and retain more information by seeing words - as well as images! In contrast, only 30% of people learn through verbal communication alone. So if you aren’t one of the 65% of visual learners, someone in your team is!

Incorporating visual thinking into your day to day work can:

• Reduce the length of meetings by 24%, by providing a shared record of the discussion
• Capture emotions, making conversations easier to remember
• Help others see the "big picture", by creating powerful visual metaphors
• Serve as a reminder of actions agreed by the team

Luckily, you don’t need to be an artist to think in pictures! Join us as we co-create a visual vocabulary you can apply to work or during studying and learning. We will take you through the essential elements needed to create powerful visual concepts.

No more PowerPoint slides needed!