Rays of Light is a 15-minute method Lawrence and Danielle created at Interaction Institute for Social Change. It was part of a weekly series of meetings we designed for the Communications Department in order to reach production goals. Since that time we have adapted the Rays format for other organizations, tested it with online teams, and collected feedback from others trying it.

What is this?

Simply, teams need to connect, update one another, and surface blocks. We structure the conversation in rounds, with each person sharing briefly in order to keep the total meeting length to 15 minutes. 

1. Something you are grateful for or excited about. We do this because it makes us happy – brain scientists agree.

2. What you are working on today? This helps teams assess capacity, and it helps individuals externalize their priorities.

3. Is anything blocking you? Teams can get coordinated, and predict hold-ups in the production pipeline. Individuals get some witness which is an age old cure for blocks.

4. Close by sharing a relevant, uplifting quote or words of encouragement. Be sure to schedule follow-up meetings if anything surfaced during the meeting that needs attention.

Tips

• The purpose of this meeting is to surface problems, not solve them. Notice when another meeting should be scheduled to dig into the details.
• Invite participants to share just the things most relevant. Nobody needs to rattle off everything they are working on, for example.