ACTION SESSION Excercise – "FREEZE FRAME"

FREEZE FRAME – An exercise about observing team behaviours and coaching in the moment.

1. Have the team choose a topic to discuss (this can be done by having everyone write down one topic and then choosing one out of a hat).
2. Establish rules:
• When coach says go, carry on discussion as you normally would.
• When coach says FREEZE; stop in midsentence, hold your pose.
• When coach asks questions, use Observation not Judgement to answer.
3. As a coach, when something is said or done that is significant or is a learning moment, I ask for the FREEZE. I often observe body language, thus the holding poses! I might ask questions such as:
• What do you notice?
• Why is that happening?
• What is the message in that?
• Where might this tone lead?
• What could you do differently?
• What is the intent, vs. the impact?
• What would it be like to try it differently right now?
4. I try to FREEZE 3-4 times, including when I observe something very positive!
5. I have used this exercise for learning how to conduct effective vs. toxic staff meetings and even for how to provide Performance Reviews!