3 Ensemble Practices for Healthier Communication
Photo credit: Justin Altman Photography
In a recent blog post, we shared why we distinguish between an ensemble and a team. Teams are often brought together to get things done like produce a project, a product, a deliverable; the focus is the outcome. Of course, ensembles care about results too, but ensembles understand the connection between their care for each other and their collective performance. The ensemble stays attuned to the group’s health and needs. Individual contributors within an ensemble stay present with each other and actively encourage each other. They strive for each other’s success because they trust the success of the whole ensemble to support their individual success.
So how can a team intentionally practice the shift to the ensemble consciousness? Truthfully – from communication to decision-making, hiring & product development – opportunities to practice within the workplace are endless. But today, we narrow in on practicing healthier communication. Because if we can’t talk to one another – or perhaps even more importantly, listen to and understand one another – then we will struggle to break out of other patterns where we are stuck in our team development.
To help you and your teams get unstuck, here are three practices your ensemble can experiment with for healthier communication:
1. Lead with Your Humanity: Set your intention first toward colleagueship, compassion, respect, and loving-kindness, before your own agenda or desired outcome for the conversation - lead with good intentions; trust the good intentions of others. Then, as you show up in this way, others will feel invited to be grounded in their humanity, too.
2. Be Present: Stay as connected to the present moment as you can, with a willingness to show up fully, without distraction. As we hold space for one another, we make room for others to feel seen and heard. Practicing the presence of an open mind and an open heart, active listening, curiosity, and eye contact also build connection and empathy between us.
3. Get Comfortable with Discomfort: Practice treating discomfort you experience in conversation as neither good nor bad, without turning away, shutting down, nor cutting it off. It is an essential stage before a shift of understanding or a leap into a new way of being. The discomfort you feel in your body is your nervous system telling you to pay attention and notice. This practice requires the courage and the strength to stay open and stay with the feelings, staying with the discomfort. This will give you the greatest potential for breakthrough, instead of breakdown or staying stuck in old patterns.
We hope these practices nourish and guide you. Stay tuned for more Ensemble Practices — and all the juicy learnings about our special day with The Vermont Jazz Center and the jazz ensemble of Eugene Uman, Malik McLaurine & Claire Arenius, pictured above.
If your team is ready to take on these practices and many others in the journey to become an ensemble, we’d love to support you with our group coaching and Shared Leadership Journey. Learn what it means to Make the Shift From Teamwork to Ensemble Flow. Read about The Shared Leadership Framework™️ & get in contact about our leadership mentoring and leadership development work.