A simple, quick activity to build community within your health care team

I’ve been using experiential activities from improvisation as a modality for teaching communication-related skills for about two decades. Because they are based on a “YES AND” philosophy, which requires everyone’s participation, they are inherently inclusive and social.

One such activity is called “I am _____________.” It can be used in any meeting, class, or workshop and only takes about ten minutes. It is simple to teach and is a great way to promote a culture where everyone’s voice is spoken, heard, and respected, as well as a sense of belonging and connection among staff.

Basically, each person fills in the blank three times with whatever they would like and then shares with others according to a step-by-step process.

Step 1: Provide a handout, PowerPoint slide, or some other visible posting that looks like this:

I am ____________________

One simple, quick activity to build community within your health care team. Explain that everyone will have a minute or so to fill in the blanks with anything they want as long as it is appropriate for sharing with one or more others on the team. Then offer a few examples, such as:

I am glad you’ve joined this workshop.
I am a nurse and author.
I am worried about my dog, who is at the vet.
I am looking forward to my son’s visit.
I am thirsty or happy or sad, etc.

Step 3: Tell the team they will now share their “I Ams” with a few others. In a face-to-face environment, ask them to get into small groups of three or four; in a virtual environment, put them in breakout rooms. The instruction is for each person to spend about one minute sharing their “I Ams” while others listen, and after everyone shares, they’ll have one or two minutes for any conversation to emerge. Ask everyone to be mindful of time and, if someone is going over, simply wave a finger to indicate their minute is almost up. Allow five minutes for this and then bring people back into the larger group.

Step 4: Spend 2 to 3 minutes inviting any feedback with open-ended questions such as:

Would anyone like to share how that experience was for you?
Did you learn any surprising things about each other?
Are you ready to settle into our meeting together?
People often share that they enjoyed the experience and learning about each other. They seem more engaged, and the energy in the room, whether virtual or physical, shifts into a more collaborative atmosphere.

Additional points

When I first taught this activity to a group of school nurses, I was just beginning to integrate experiential activities from improv into workshops on communication-related skills. There were about 25 nurses, and I facilitated it early in the workshop. At first, it was deathly quiet. I worried that I had used poor judgment in doing it. I have learned to trust this process even though it feels uncomfortable.

Within a minute or so, people started talking, and soon it got very noisy! So noisy that I had to develop a technique for future workshops to get the focus back on me. My favorite way is to tell people early on in workshops that when I show them the peace sign, they should please mirror it back to me and wrap up their conversation. It is quite magical to see even large groups become quiet quickly with such minimal effort.

Not only does this activity engage and connect staff in heartfelt ways, but it also promotes assertiveness, listening skills, and a culture of inclusivity and collaboration. And you can do it more than once, over time, with any group!

Beth Boynton is a nurse consultant.