I had the opportunity to participate in a three-person gospel reading at Church yesterday. In going through the preparation workbook last week, it suggested rehearsing the entire reading aloud, not just your individual part. It was an innovative idea and not something I would have thought to do; my typical strategy would be to practice only what I'd be responsible for reading at Church.
After reading the entire piece several times, the advantage of this holistic strategy became clear. My role was to be the "narrator," providing verbal connections between a variety of spoken parts representing various characters. That means I had a lot of, "They said" and, "He replied" type lines. Rehearsing the whole piece made me very aware of the emotion and point of view of the next person I was leading up to, as well as of the person speaking right before me. It allowed me to vary my tone and be a better connector within our three-person team.
Only after Church did the broader lesson strike me. The strategy of "rehearsing the entire thing" applies to any type of team project. While each team member may have a distinct role, the entire team's success will improve if you think strategically about the holistic process:
- Anticipate what you'll be receiving from the person before you. What point of view, style, and expertise will this person put into the work product for which you'll assume responsibility?
- Also, consider the person to whom you'll hand off your efforts. What will they be expecting from you? How can you anticipate what they may struggle with in order to help them get through challenging parts more successfully?
In any team project, (re)define your role as being a "strong connector." Take the strategic view, planning for what comes before and after you in the process to catalyze your team's success. - Mike Brown
