Blog, Pitang.

Talking about behavior can be difficult for many team members.

Framing it like “that person did this, this person did that” can make the environment intimidating for some, especially if done in front of people with higher hierarchical authority.

It is always important to monitor how comfortable the group feels working with dynamics of this nature.

Assess before starting. I usually use Mentimeter for this type of check. Ask participants what their level of psychological safety is for participating in the meeting.

If there is a predominance of insecurity, then I do not recommend moving forward. It will be counterproductive to try to build something based on a feeling of insecurity.

Returning to the context, if every perception is legitimate, since it deals with another's feelings about a behavior, why not ask the participants how they feel?

The concept of That Person and This Person

That Person & This Person is a team-building activity that seeks to promote a conversation about behaviors. 

That Person and This Person are concepts used to help people identify with and relate to others. They are based on the idea that people can be divided into two groups: those who are close to us and those who are far from us. That Person is someone who is close to us, while This Person is someone who is far from us.

The results of this activity serve as a guide for defining the team's acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, also supporting the creation of the team's charter of values. How to run the activity:

1. Split the screen into two areas with the following phrases

2. Don't be "that person" who… (what was done to me that made me feel uncomfortable?)

3. “This person rocks!” (what was done to me that made me feel comfortable?)

2. Ask participants to write comments on sticky notes and place them under each of the areas.

This activity works well for remote teams. Aim to use shared boards with anonymous interactions.