Indian Talking Stick

Listen before trying to be understood

Businesswomen Interacting With Their Colleague

Goal

The concept of the Indian Talking Stick contributes to really listening to each other and responding to what the previous speaker has said. It prevents endless discussions where everyone mainly has their own say, without really listening to what others have to say. 

Description

The two main principles of the Indian Talking Stick are: only the person who has the Talking Stick (this can be any object) is speaking, and the Stick is only passed when the speaker feels understood and the next person who wants the floor has summarized the previous speaker’s message to their satisfaction. Deploy the Indian Talking Stick when you feel team members are talking past each other or not listening to each other.

Results

Video

Video abspielen

Indian Talking Stick (3 minutes, EN)

Video abspielen

Stephen Covey calls the Indian Talking Stick the most powerful form of communication he has ever encountered. In this video he explains why.

To Work

Indian Talking Stick

The Indian Talking Stick is an instrument of indigenous Indian democracy. The talking stick is passed around a group, as multiple people speak in turn.

 

The rules are:

Feeling understood is therapeutic and healing. Participants are therefore open to problem-solving. The energy of the group is transformed from negative to positive, from defensive to creative, allowing alternative solutions to emerge that are better than what everyone initially proposed.

Source

The Indian Talking Stick was traditionally used by Indian communities in North America and has been popularized by Stephen Covey.

You find more techniques to improve teamwork in our book Connective Teamwork (EN, NL). The book helps you set your team in motion with a practical 5-step plan and 20 teamwork techniques.

You can learn more about and practice this technique in our Connective Team Coach Training Course.

Book on teamwork and collaboration with pen and hand graphics.

Contact me

I would like to:
Coffee break conversations

At Connective Partners we do not like SPAM!

Almost all websites utilize cookies, and we are no exception. Cookies help us enhance our website, understand which pages are more or less frequently visited, and provide you with personalized information. It’s important to note that we also use cookies for marketing purposes, but we adhere to all applicable laws and regulations governing data privacy and protection. In summary, we use cookies for all standard purposes, except for spamming or any other illegal activities that violate your rights as a user.

We use Cookies for everything except SPAM.
You agree to this by staying on this website.