Asking ‘How are you?’ won’t give you the insight you need. Try this instead.

“How are you all?”

“Good.”

“Yep, I’m good”

“Fine”

“Great. shall we dive in?”

How many meetings have you attended that started this way?

When asking “How are you all?”, we miss the opportunity to connect and gain insight into what’s actually going on in the team. Info that’s crucial to a successful outcome.

For example: If you know that your team is overwhelmed, you’ll frame the meeting appropriately. If you know they’re oozing energy, then there’s an opportunity to harness that.

Simply put. If you don’t check in properly with people at the start of a meeting, it will be sheer coincidence if your message lands appropriately.

2x tools for more connection and better outcomes:

1. The Blob Tree

A favourite with the More Happi team, this visualisation tool is used to support communication and self-expression, particularly in the context of counselling or coaching. It was designed to enable people to identify and express their thoughts and feelings more freely. Perfect to open your next meeting.

Print or share a copy, then at the start of the meeting ask everyone to reflect on “Which one do you feel like today?” Then, one by one, ask them to share the relevant blob, and add a few comments for context.

Remember to thank them for sharing. 😊

2. The Emotions Wheel

Psychologist Robert Plutchik PH.D simplified the range of human feelings into an emotion wheel. It’s a great alternative to the Blob Tree as a starting point to help those around you to reflect on how they COULD be feeling.

Coach lab questions for your fortnight:

• What step(s) will you take to improve the way that you communicate in meetings?
• How will you create a culture of psychological safety at work or home, so that your peers can express how they’re really feeling?
• When will you start putting this into practice?

A little bit about me (your guide)

For those of you I haven't met yet, I'm Ashleigh, founder of More Happi :) Nice to meet you! 👋

I’ve worked across 9 industry start-up sectors, ranging from fashion trend forecasting, to wool, tampons, sustainable lightbulbs and more.

I trained to be a coach in 2020, after over 20 years in Product, Marketing and Leadership roles.

I noticed something that irked me.

Coaching is transformational for people’s life and career.

But the coaching industry was broken. 😟

Due to high costs, only the usual suspects at the top of organisations were able to benefit from the superpowers that professional coaching brings — fuelling a vicious circle of privilege that sustains the status quo and leaves everyone else behind.

It wasn’t fair. So I’m fixing it. And so far, thousands have benefitted.

Interested in learning more about the most accessible coaching service ever created? Discover more here.