Changes

7 Alternatives

Building a team spirit

Raising awareness of each person's contributions

Small

Paper and writing utensils

Have everyone be seated where they can see each other (around a table or in a circle of chairs). If the meeting must be a video conference, make sure everyone can see and hear all others.

Give 5 minutes of quiet time in which each person can think about their appreciations for others and jot them down. Assure them that their notes are for themselves only. (Skipping this step may result in people being "not present" because of mentally composing what they will say while others are speaking. It also helps prevent people from feeling anxious. Assure them that if they think of something different later, they are not bound by what they wrote.)

Ask for a volunteer for the first person to "receive" appreciations.

Suggest that people think about how they felt receiving appreciations. Also, ask them to think of other things that they would like to be appreciated for. The leader can determine whether or not to give the opportunity during this session to share such reflections.

Instead of an in-person session, have each team member write their appreciations for each other person. These can be shared with all, either electronically or on a physical bulletin board, and refreshed periodically or on an ongoing basis.