Description
What: NOW FIND YOUR VOICE is a simple tool to support you to lead an effective group process for defining and uniting your group and setting out how it will move forward.
How: The tool achieves this by guiding each member to tune in to themselves and each other at the very beginning, by setting out a clear purpose for the group, and by taking other steps towards increasing a sense of empowerment for the members and group as a whole.
Why: It aims to enable all participants to understand every aspect of the process, which helps to create psychological safety in the group.
Who: The process can be undertaken by a chosen group facilitator external or internal to the group, or worked through step-by-step as a joint team effort. It is important that every member contributes at each step along the way to achieve a meaningful way forward and sense of empowerment for all.
Where: The process can be undertaken indoors or outdoors, in-person or online, on paper or on screen – wherever your group meets or feels most comfortable, convenient and safe.
The acronym stands for Name, Openness, Why, Feeling, Insight, Narrow, Define, Yes, Outcomes, Understanding, Responsibilities, Vision, Opportunities, Intention, Clarity and Empowerment. It’s long but bear with the process, I ensure you it is useful! It has been tested with my Mother’s Support Group and proven effective for us in renewing our sense of purpose and commitment to the group.
- Each individual in the group has a turn of answering all the NOW prompts in one go.
- Each individual in the group has a turn of answering all the FIND prompts in one go
- Each individual in the group has a turn of answering the Y prompt.
- Each individual in the group has the opportunity to answer the rest of the OUR prompts, then VOICE prompts, moving through each prompt in order as a group.
- Each individual in the group has a turn of answering the E prompt.
This process could be reworked for any embarked upon process of a group or individual, e.g. for creative processes.