Gathering Lesson: ensuring psychological safety

One of my favorite gatherings of 2023 was when I had the chance to test out Priya's 15 toasts concept by teaming up with two of my favorite local nonprofits, The Village Institute and Convivir. Over dinner, each attendee shared a toast in honor of ‘their migrant story.' Whether they came to the US from another country or their family migrated here generations ago, the stories were personal and powerful (I toasted my great grandfather Nathan who traveled to the US from Russia pre-World War II and dug the subway tunnels in NYC). After dinner, Motus Theater's improv troupe ‘played back’ people's stories. The power of storytelling was on full display and I couldn't have been more proud. As one attendee shared, “A sense of community was built immediately. It felt cozy and personal."

Lesson learned:

The importance of intentional group agreements. When bringing a group together, it's a host's job to ensure psychological safety (especially when they're mostly strangers). One way to do this is by sharing and having folks agree to a series of group agreements. At this event, we set agreements of “co-creating a safe and brave space” as well as “stories stay, learnings leave” (ie confidentiality). I'll share LOTS more about group agreements in upcoming newsletters. For today, I'll leave you with a reminder of the power of intentional group agreements.