Back when I did onsite workshops for clients, I always included a pair interviewing exercise to demonstrate the power of listening to people, and being listened to.
It's very simple, and takes no more than half an hour.
Pair up with a colleague. Decide what order to go in. One of you is the interviewer, the other is the subject. Set a timer for 10 minutes and ask:
What is your role?
How long have you been with the company?
Walk me through your day yesterday (or most recent work day) from the time you got up.
What makes you feel successful in your work?
What are your greatest challenges?
Anything else you want to tell me about your job?
The rule is that aside from these questions, the only thing the interviewer can say is “Tell me more about that.“ Otherwise they need to listen, pay attention, and resist the very strong urge to talk about themselves.
When the timer goes off, the interviewer says “Thank you!“ (with enthusiasm).
Then switch roles and do it again.
After the second interview, take 10 minutes to talk about the experience and how it felt, and what you learned about each other.
That's it.
Whenever I ran this exercise in a workshop, the energy was amazing. Participants found that they'd been making assumptions about one another's work, and that they had more in common than they'd realized. It was always a huge challenge for me to tear people away from their conversations to continue with the rest of the material. In just 20 minutes, they learned so much and really connected.
In these times, when organizations are reducing employees to line items on a spreadsheet and making workers feel undervalued and disposable, a simple exercise like this might sound contrived, but it can bring a little humanity back into the workplace and help you and your colleagues see and value each other. And hopefully contribute to mutual trust and support.
Give it a try and report back!
It's very simple, and takes no more than half an hour.
Pair up with a colleague. Decide what order to go in. One of you is the interviewer, the other is the subject. Set a timer for 10 minutes and ask:
What is your role?
How long have you been with the company?
Walk me through your day yesterday (or most recent work day) from the time you got up.
What makes you feel successful in your work?
What are your greatest challenges?
Anything else you want to tell me about your job?
The rule is that aside from these questions, the only thing the interviewer can say is “Tell me more about that.“ Otherwise they need to listen, pay attention, and resist the very strong urge to talk about themselves.
When the timer goes off, the interviewer says “Thank you!“ (with enthusiasm).
Then switch roles and do it again.
After the second interview, take 10 minutes to talk about the experience and how it felt, and what you learned about each other.
That's it.
Whenever I ran this exercise in a workshop, the energy was amazing. Participants found that they'd been making assumptions about one another's work, and that they had more in common than they'd realized. It was always a huge challenge for me to tear people away from their conversations to continue with the rest of the material. In just 20 minutes, they learned so much and really connected.
In these times, when organizations are reducing employees to line items on a spreadsheet and making workers feel undervalued and disposable, a simple exercise like this might sound contrived, but it can bring a little humanity back into the workplace and help you and your colleagues see and value each other. And hopefully contribute to mutual trust and support.
Give it a try and report back!