What gets said about colleagues when they're not in the room is almost never positive.
Recognize this situation? Below are the Liberating Structures that change it — a concrete example, and the reason this one fits here. New to Liberating Structures? Here's what it is.
For example: After the meeting, over coffee, the conversation quickly turns to what a colleague did wrong. Nobody can remember the last time something positive was said about someone who wasn't in the room.
Liberating Structures for this situation:
Positive Gossip
Positive Gossip literally flips the pattern: in a series of short one-minute paired rounds, everyone deliberately gossips positively — first about a mentor, then about someone in the group, and in the last round even directly to their own conversation partner.
Because the format is so short and repeated, speaking positively about others becomes a practiced habit rather than an exception — exactly the pattern that's usually missing at the coffee machine.
No certification, no lengthy prep — read the steps and try it at your next meeting.
Keep exploring
Browse the full list of 43 structures, or get support if this situation is too complex to facilitate yourself.