Think about the last time you truly felt safe enough to speak your mind and have an open and frank conversation at work.  Where were you? What were you doing and what made this possible? What were the benefits to you and the others who were involved? Did it develop trust, build understanding or help mobilise effort? There can be no doubt that when done constructively and when all parties are prepared to listen to the messages, participating in safe conversation can be very worthwhile.

Unfortunately for many business people finding the time to hold meaningful and safe conversations is becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish. The pressures of high workloads, business travel and managing office politics seem to seriously inhibit our chances of ever having safe and open conversations on a regular basis.

Often we are left with an unsatisfactory situation relying on hearsay and rumour without ever discovering the truth or testing the boundaries of our thinking. This of course spells trouble for learning and innovation.  To progress in any business its stakeholders need to be prepared to speak about the tough or unspeakable issues. Only then will the necessary focus, teamwork and effort be generated.

The Training and Development Profession needs to take the lead in helping others to facilitate safe conversations at work. It needs to support people to build better relationships in their work by increasing the chances for people to listen and learn together more intelligently.

Building Confidence and Success

For many people having ´safe conversation´ sounds like a good idea but often steps are never taken to make it possible. So what can a trainer do to make a start in the right direction and build the trust and confidence required? To be successful in creating safe conversation you must first help people to discover what they feel passionate about. This must be done without being constrained by hierarchy, ego and status. People must feel safe enough to be able to share their frustrations and dreams whilst also exploring unresolved issues. Secondly, business must be prepared to broaden its view of the world and be more receptive in exploring the unknown or even the unspeakable. Finally, you must be prepared to evaluate your efforts by ensuring that every conversation has a healthy exploration of sharing and reflection.

There are many ways to go about facilitating safe conversations; here are seven of my favourites:

-Start with a Clear Purpose - Collaboration requires people to be keenly interested in a big idea or challenge. So before launching off into creating new conversations and relationships, there needs to be common agreement on areas of action or discussion. Without clear focus and motivation your efforts will fail.  What is in it for me? must be clearly understood and explained. Having done this preparation you are better placed in reaching agreement on issues such as roles, ground rules, team processes and leadership.

-Champion sharing - If people are given the support, permission and training they will make a difference. In some of the more difficult cases, people will need a performance improvement plan before any real change can be observed. However, in most situations if the process of improvement is approached in a positive way, success will result. At a practical level this could include the following behaviours.

• Keep your requests nice and simple.
• Make it clear why sharing and exchange is important.
• Ask of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.
• Start with safe and easy conversations then move to more sensitive and challenging ones.
• Thank people for their involvement whatever the outcome or contribution.

-Opening up minds - Expansive thinking is mandatory in creating safe conversation. Staying comfortable within our known universe is a recipe for disaster. We must be prepared to go to new places and find out new answers to many of our questions. Whether it is becoming more curious in what we do or asking clients and customers for their opinion. We must be better prepared for surprises and prepared to dig out and uncover those special abilities you will need to face your future.

-Growing successful relationships - Make it your priority to connect people who have a desire to contribute and take responsibility. The key to growing successful relationships is not about demanding contribution but inviting people to participate. The more managers impose the less likely we will get the openness we need. Forced participation is not only a killer of contribution but it also raises passive resistance that stifles the potential for quality questions, answers and solutions. Seek to be a coach at every opportunity.

-Freshen up your meetings  - One of the great 'throw away' lines in business is, 'We have knowledge sharing, we regularly hold meetings'. From experience such group gatherings are rarely in the knowledge zone. There are of course times when a firmly controlled agenda and debate may be necessary. However, on the whole this approach is excessively used. Creativity and fun must be encouraged within the right environment.  There are many ways to refresh and jazz up your meetings ranging from simple adjustments like having different people chair discussions to high-energy weekend retreats.

-Circulating wisdom - Without the circulation of wisdom, great initiatives that come from more transparency and openness can be wasted. There are numerous ways to circulate wisdom within business. Encourage people to share testimonials, stories and observations at every opportunity whether it is coaching or leading a meeting. It is here that deeper insights are unmasked. Consider incentive plans to encourage people to create and apply their knowledge. Some workplaces link knowledge management into their performance management agreements. Most of all, you need to get the message out that you're serious about winning the knowledge game.

-Tune into collaborative technology - Business now lives in the new age of cyberconversation, where collaboration technology is the norm. You can start with either an on-line or wireless internet connection to join a discussion group, enter chat rooms or create your own discussions at a moment's notice. If you are lucky enough, you may have access to far more elaborate net meetings and collaboration applications that everyone can use and share at a higher level of intimacy and interaction. Services include - Videoconferencing, Internet Directories, Application and Desktop Sharing, Chat, Visual Tools such as Mind Mapping and Whiteboarding. This of course does not discredit the old faithful telephone conference call to kick the process along.

Overcoming Resistance

There are several reasons why creating safe conversation is difficult. First, people are often unwilling to let go of control and create space where new dynamics can occur. Second, we give our attention to those who we feel are most talented or are most senior and as a result we miss vital knowledge. Finally, we need to be courageous and give the process a try. Start small and build it up.

For some, creating safe conversation may seem too hard particularly if they have had failed attempts in the past. However, when done properly creating safe conversation is incredibly liberating and positive. People are very thankful that hard to discuss issues have been aired and explored.

To make progress we must be prepared to take a risk and not let the fear of making things worse stop us. This is particularly the case if people are not comfortable with open and honest conversations. About a year ago, I was asked to submit a proposal to a new client. They wanted a team-building event in the next month. My usual practise is to meet the team members in advance before formalizing the agenda. This helps to build rapport and enables me to custom design what the team could do together. It also helps team members to ventilate and share their expectations. When I met the team leader at her office she asked me to come in and close the door. She then told me what she wanted out of the process and that there had been a long history of conflict in the team. When I put my proposal in writing I suggested that I meet each team member separately before the team-building day. I would then submit an agenda based on input. She rejected my offer, advising me that she wanted to launch straight into the team day without meeting the team first. She said it would be too much for the team to share their feelings with me before hand. It is obvious that this team leader was not ready for safe conversation. My sense was that she was quite fearful and protective of her role and her ego was not willing to give it a try. The team leader chose another provider-my hope is that the other consultant had more success in helping the team get past square one. Without safe conversation, I doubt the team would resolve its underlying issues. 

In closing, see safer conversations as a dynamic process and you will have the mindset you need to succeed. When you have success make sure you celebrate and encourage people to share their stories. When struggles unfold, open up the conversation and listen carefully to people´s desires, concerns and expectations. Suspend your judgement and see the relapses not only as normal but also as a gift to everyone to refocus their efforts and build momentum again.

Alastair Rylatt a Fellow of AITD in the past 20 years Alastair has become regarded as one of the best business facilitators in Australia. Alastair Rylatt is the Director of Alastair Rylatt Consulting and he can be contacted at alastair@alastairrylatt.com or visit his Workplace Learning Help Desk at www.alastairrylatt.com.