Language reference

The following phrases can be used to help you discuss each of the nine “Cs” in the C9 Trust Tool (see p. 43) and build trust in your teams.

Discussing certainty

⋅ ⋅

How do you see my/your role? For me, your main role and responsibility is to… ⋅ ⋅

Do you see things the same way? I have the confidence in this ⋅ environment to…

I am less confident about…

Discussing competence

⋅

How would you define your own areas of expertise? ⋅ ⋅

My main areas of expertise are… ⋅ I am able to deliver on… because… It’s difficult for me to promise… because…

Discussing consistency

⋅

How reliable am I / are we for ⋅ you?

I appreciate the way that you ⋅ keep your promises.

I am happy/unhappy with the consistency of the team’s performance ⋅ because…

I think we’re working (in)effectively because we change our decisions too often / stick to our decisions.

Discussing commitment

⋅

I think our level of commitment to our mission and way of working ⋅ is…

The general level of accountability ⋅ in the team is…

So, are we prepared to go the extra mile on this project?

Discussing concern

⋅

How can I/we support team ⋅ members better?

If anyone needs help with… then ⋅ I would be very happy to offer it. One thing I think we should try ⋅ to avoid is…

I appreciate the way that team members take care of each other.

Discussing conflict

⋅

Are there any ways in which ⋅ I/we create conflict in the team? Many of our conflicts seem to be ⋅ caused by…

One way to handle conflict better ⋅ would be to…

How do you think we should deal with conflict better?

Discussing critique

⋅

How could I/we manage feedback ⋅ better?

It’s (not) easy to bring up alternative ⋅ viewpoints because…

I think differences of opinion could be better handled if we…

Discussing communication

⋅

How do you think I/we could ⋅ communicate more effectively? How inclusive do you feel our ⋅ decision-making processes are? I think we are quite aligned/ different in the way we communicate. ⋅ For example,…

I think our meetings could be ⋅ better/more inclusive if we… Do you feel able to be as open and honest as you would like?

Discussing levels of control

⋅

Do you have as much autonomy ⋅ as you should have?

I would like to work more independently ⋅ and creatively.

I think more/less control and ⋅ reporting is needed for…

I think we need more transparency regarding…