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Improve Team Alignment With Anecdote Circles

Inspired by The Cynefin Co

  • Team Framework

  • Targets Alignment

Improve Team Alignment With Anecdote Circles

Use this Framework to encourage teams to share their stories


📗  Framework details

Anecdote Circles is a workshop/group method that creates a safe space for teams to alleviate their stress by sharing their stories.


Anyone can facilitate; people should self-nominate for that. Everyone gets a turn, without interruption, while others take notes on the key points of the story they are listening to. After that, as a group, look for similar patterns in the stories, and discuss.

What does the technique entail?

The anecdotal technique is a narrative technique used to guide participants in sharing stories in a relaxed and spontaneous manner resulting in the collection of meaningful anecdotes around a single incident or situation.

These stories are truthful and without opinion or bias. The anecdotal circle must flow freely and where participants are not conscious of the detailed structure of objectives of the session in a lightly facilitated group-based method.

đź“— Next steps

  • Share this Framework with your team to gather feedback.

  • Set a time with your team to schedule your Anecdote Circle.

  • The value of this type of Framework is that you can run it async, so consider using Loom as your distribution and recording mechanism.

  • Use the attached guide to understand how to run this Framework and best practices.