We’re living through some genuinely bonkers times. Between geopolitical chaos that reads like a rejected James Cameron Avatar XII screenplay, socio-political upheaval that even Doris Kearns Goodwin struggles to put it in historical context, and workplace disruptions the likes of the Industrial Revolution and Work From Anywhere Movement, it’s exhausting just being awake. Unrelenting uncertainty and constant, unsettling change isn’t coming – it’s already here! To temper anxiety and reduce the risks for communities struggling through change, leaders can use communication rituals that make everything better (maybe not everything, but a lot of things for a lot of people!).

Communication Rituals

Great communication rituals are human, real, and personalized to meet the moment and needs of individuals and teams. Empty, jargon-filled efforts like “let’s circle back” and and “what are your questions?” and “make sense?” are the antithesis of human-centered communication rituals that actually bring people together, foster real connection, spark innovation, and build the resilience we desperately need.

Here are some practical rituals that can transform how your team navigates the beautiful mess of modern work and community building.

Kill meetings!

What it is

Asynchronous updates are regular, written responses to questions like: What did you accomplish last week? What are your priorities this week? What’s on your plate? How much capacity do you have to help teammates? What barriers or tensions are you experiencing? Asynchronous co-creation or collaboration also happens when multiple teammates build or edit a document simultaneously and digitally, as opposed to being in a meeting together to awkwardly co-write a document (not everyone is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and that’s okay).

Why it matters

Because honestly, not everything needs a meeting. When you create a rhythm of asynchronous updates – whether in Microsoft Teams channels, Slack, or good ol’ Google Docs – you give people the superpower of sharing progress, asking for help, and understanding team priorities without scheduling another soul-crushing video call. It’s transparency without the performance anxiety. It’s diversity of thought without bending to the loudest voice in the room.

How to use it

Pick a cadence (weekly works great), choose your platform (we use Teams), and establish 3-5 consistent questions everyone answers. Make it a ritual, not a chore. Keep responses concise – nobody needs a novel about your Tuesday.

Shoot the sh*t for five minutes

What it is

Literally what it sounds like. Before diving into agendas and action items in a meeting, teams spend the opening minutes of meetings just… talking. About life. Freddie the dog. That weird noise their car is making. Routes to work and the weather. Professional takes on politics and culture. Whatever.

Why it matters

During the pandemic, while working at Canada’s largest credit union, one of my colleagues shared this brilliantly simple practice: let humans be human before demanding they be productive by shooting the shit before the meeting really starts. What she learned was that this was the meeting really starting and this simple practice improved connection and collaboration in ways that algorithms and fancy project management software never did. When people know and like each other, we achieve remarkable things together.

How to use it

Officially start meetings at five past the hour (giving people time to arrive and decompress), use those first minutes for genuine connection, and end at ten to the hour (because bathroom breaks and hydration matter). Your team’s nervous systems will thank you.

Clearing

What it is

lululemon popularized this practice, which seeks to “…clear away distraction, assumption, or leftover emotional baggage, [and] create the conditions where truth, connection, and possibility can emerge”. At the start of meetings, for example, participants share what’s going on in their lives – what might trigger them, excite them, or slow down their processing. A sick kid, a bike accident on the way to work, a recent breakup are all fair game.

Why it matters

Context changes everything. When you know your colleague is dealing with a sick pet or fresh heartbreak, their distracted demeanor suddenly makes sense. It’s not about making excuses. It’s about acknowledging that we’re humans having a work experience, not work machines occasionally having human feelings.

How to use it

Keep it brief (we still have work to do), make it optional, and model vulnerability as a leader. Don’t turn every meeting into group therapy but do create space for authentic humanity. According to former lululemon employee, Chris Liddle, “the practice worked because it created presence. It set the tone that everyone’s contribution mattered and that we were stepping into the moment together.”

Silence is golden at Amazon

What it is

Amazon hates PowerPoint. Consequently, the firm has great writers.

Jeff [Bezos] wrote, “We don’t do PowerPoint presentations at Amazon. Instead, we write narratively structured six-page memos. Not surprisingly, the quality of these memos varies widely. Some have the clarity of angels singing. They are brilliant and thoughtful and set up the meeting for high-quality discussion. Sometimes they come in at the other end of the spectrum.” leaders prepare narrative memos (under six pages), and meetings begin with 20 minutes of silence while everyone reads, processes, and annotates the document.

Why it matters

PowerPoint encourages lazy thinking and performative presenting. Reading a well-crafted memo in silence gives introverts time to process, levels the playing field, and ensures everyone actually engages with the content. As Adam Grant’s research on communication shows, generating ideas individually before group discussion – or brainwriting – produces better results than loud people shouting ideas.

How to use it

Even if you don’t go full Amazon, incorporate silent processing time. Put materials on screen and let people think before they speak. Embrace the awkward quiet because this is how good ideas germinate.

Accelerate safety. Ask for feedback.

What it is

After one-on-ones, presentations, or team huddles, leaders simply ask: “How did that go for you?”

Why it matters

Psychological safety, the foundation of high-performing teams, is built through consistent, authentic leader vulnerability (specifically when employees publicly disagree with the boss without fear of retribution). When leaders genuinely seek feedback and act on it, they signal that honesty is valued and improvement is everyone’s job.

How to use it

Ask the question. Sit with the silence. Don’t get defensive. The first few times, you might hear crickets. Keep asking. Eventually, you’ll receive thoughtful, honest insights that make you and your team significantly better.

Shout outs

What it is

We need to catch people doing the right thing.

After every basketball game I coach, we have shout outs. Players, parents, and coaches publicly recognize someone for a cool play or basic achievement during the game. I learned it from Coach Jo, a former volleyball superstar who coaches basketball because she knows that we coach humans who play basketball, not basketball players.

Why it matters

We’re usually good at catching people doing things wrong. We’re not great at giving authentic and helpful compliments (honestly, the worst praise anyone can give is “good job!”). Personalized recognition, whether for crushing a presentation or remembering to update that shared doc, elevates performance, engagement, and morale exponentially.

How to use it

Create space in team meetings or Slack channels for shout outs. Make it regular, make it genuine, and celebrate both spectacular wins and unglamorous fundamentals. For example, Canada Basketball’s Mike Mackay awards the most pesky, annoying player with a stuffed mosquito because such a trophy reflects the program’s commitment to relentless ball pressure.

Stars and wishes

What it is

IDEO calls this ritual “I Like, I Wish”. At our family dinner table, we call it “Stars and Wishes” (or voeux et étoiles because we’re practicing French).

Everyone shares something that went well (a star) and something they wish could have gone better or hope for tomorrow (a wish).

Why it matters

It’s reflection and forward-thinking packaged into 90 seconds or less. A star might be closing a tough project or enjoying perfect weather on your bike ride. A wish might be for more open-minded colleagues or a kinder friend. The ritual is simple, human, and builds the habit of engaging in constructive reflection every day. Wishes also invite and inspire potential – what we can do next – whereas phrases like “what didn’t go well?” put up barriers to possibility.

How to use it

Try it at the end of team meetings or as an asynchronous ritual for reviewing a piece of work. Or at the dinner table. Keep it brief, keep it real, and watch patterns emerge that inform how you work and build together.

CARLs (or After Action Reviews)

What it is

After Action Reviews (AARs), according to smart people at Wharton Business School, were popularized by Navy SEALs. Their purpose is to create a culture of continuous performance improvement and adaptive learning by systematically reviewing team successes and failures.

CARL is a post-practice analysis tactic from Basketball Canada (apologetically not gender/cultural-neutral/inclusive). CARL stands for…

C – What challenge did we face?

A – What actions did you/we take?

R – What happened because of those actions?

L – What did we learn? What will we try next?

Adaptive leaders need CARL (and/or AARs). These tactics facilitate purposeful, in-the-moment reflection immediately following an experience.

Why it matters

Learning happens everywhere and all the time when we reflect on our experiences. That’s it. We should probably meditate every day and reflect on what we did and what we learned. This is growth. This is continuous improvement.

How to use it

“After action” implies that we do something pretty darn close to the actual experience. CARL is best activated as close to coaching/tactical lessons as possible. Thousands of reflective or postmortem tools exist, so pick one that meets the moment for you and get started.

Five More Communication Rituals (from AI)

The world isn’t getting more certain and clearer anytime soon. But with intentional communication rituals, we can build communities that navigate chaos with resilience, creativity, and maybe even a little joy.

• Walking Meetings: Get out of the conference room. Fresh air and movement unlock creativity and reduce the intensity of difficult conversations.
• “Ask Me Anything” Time: Dedicate specific time where literally any question is welcome, especially the silly or stupid ones that everyone’s thinking but nobody asks.
• Rotating Facilitators: Rotate who facilitates meetings. It distributes power, develops skills, and prevents one voice from dominating.
• Monthly F*ck Up Wins: Share failures and what you learned from them. Normalize experimentation and remove the stigma of getting it wrong.
• Energy Checks: Use a simple 1-10 scale (or battery stickers/emojis) for people to share their energy levels at the start of meetings. It provides instant context without requiring explanation.

Now go forth and communicate better. Your team deserves it.