Respectful behaviours

• TIME REQUIRED

  30 mins
• EFFORT

  Low
• TEAM SIZE

  2 or more
• GOOD FOR

  Respectful teams

What you’ll need

Physical

If you’re together physically, you’ll need:

• a blank wall or board
• markers
• post-it notes

Remote

If your team is working remotely, you’ll need to set up an online tool.

When you choose a tool, think if anyone in your team has accessibility needs and that they’ll be able to easily use it.

Some free tools you can use are:

• FunRetro
• Microsoft Whiteboard
• Miro
• Mural
• Trello

But this is just a list of examples. There are a lot of tools.

Scheduling the session

Set up your meeting at a time where you’ll get the best results.

This means to think about the diverse needs of each of your team members.

Think of things like this:

• Do some people work better earlier or later in the day?
• Does anyone have kids or caring responsibilities that mean they need to start late or leave early?
• Is there a time to avoid due to other work commitments?

How to run the activity

This a rough schedule of how you can run the session.

The key thing is to set a timer for each section of your session and stick to each time.

When people have a limited time to think, they’ll focus on the things that matter to them the most.

Acknowledge country (20 seconds)

Always acknowledge the traditional owners before you start.

It shows your respect for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

Set the scene (2 minutes)

Give them background on why your team is making a team charter.

Brainstorm respectful behaviours (10 minutes)

Give each team member 5 post-it notes

On each post-it note, ask them to write one behaviour they feel is important in a respectful team.

Group respectful behaviours (5 minutes)

Go around to each person and ask them to start sticking their post it notes to a shared working space. This may be using your online tool or a blank wall.

As each person puts their post-it notes on the wall, ask them to group similar ideas together.

Brainstorm ways to demonstrate respectful behaviours (10 minutes)

Give each team member 5 post-it notes

On each post-it note, ask them to write up ideas on how they would demonstrate the team’s shared respectful behaviours.

Discuss ideas and refine into sentences (15 minutes)

As a group, talk through each of the groups of ideas, noting in concise sentences:

• team expectations for respectful behaviour
• how team members would like to treat each other

After the activity

Write up the concise sentences and send around to your team.

Revisit this activity on a regular basis.

Or turn your sentences into great posters for around the office or as assets on your intranet.