To run a team working styles session, give everyone the same short set of prompts about how they work best, have each person write their own answers, then share them as a group and agree a few practical changes. Half a day is usually enough. The aim is a written, shared picture of how each person operates, so the team can stop guessing and start working with each other rather than around each other.
This guide covers what the session is for, the prompts to send people beforehand, how to run the day itself step by step, and how to make sure the result lasts longer than the meeting. It is written for owners and managers who want to run this with their own team, with or without an outside facilitator.
What a team working styles session is for
A working styles session makes the unwritten rules of a team visible. Most friction at work comes from small mismatches that no one has ever said out loud: one person wants detail in writing, another wants a quick call, one does their best thinking early, another late. Left unspoken, these differences read as people being difficult. Written down and shared, they become useful information.
The session is not a personality test and not a training course. It is a structured conversation that produces a record. For the underlying idea, see this guide to different working styles in a team. The output is usually a short working with me manual for each person, written by them.
Before the session: the prompts to send
Send the same prompts to everyone a few days ahead, and ask people to draft short answers before they arrive. Drafting in advance means the day is spent sharing and agreeing, rather than staring at a blank page. Keep the prompts plain:
- How I prefer to communicate, and which channel suits what.
- How and how often I like to receive feedback.
- When I do my best work, and when I do not.
- What drains me, and what helps me most.
- The things people most often misunderstand about me.
Five or six prompts is plenty. A long questionnaire produces thin answers, because people run out of patience before they reach the useful part.
Running the session, step by step
On the day, keep the structure simple and the pace steady.
- Open by saying plainly what the session is for and what it is not. It is about how each person works, and it is not a review of anyone's performance.
- Give everyone ten minutes to finish their own notes, so no one feels rushed.
- Go round one at a time. Each person reads their answers, and the rest of the team listens and asks practical questions.
- Capture agreements as you go. When two people spot a mismatch, note the change they will try.
- Close by agreeing where the written manuals will live, so they are there when someone needs them.
Keep the tone matter of fact. The session works because it is practical and a little dry, rather than an exercise in opening up that some people will dread.
Make the session last longer than the day
The common failure is that the notes get filed and forgotten within a fortnight. To avoid that, keep each person's manual somewhere the team actually works, and bring it out at the moments it helps: onboarding a new starter, planning a project, or sorting out a recurring friction. Working With Me holds the manuals in one place so they stay live, and pairs them with clear, visible team priorities so people can see both how to work together and what the work is for.
If you would rather have the session run for you, with the structure and the platform set up in a day, book the workshop. It includes a four-week platform trial so the result stays in use. If you want to talk through running it yourself first, book a call.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating it as a one-off. Working styles change as people and roles change, so revisit them.
- Letting it become a performance conversation. Keep it about how people work, rather than how well they perform.
- Skipping the written record. A session with no output is just a nice chat.
- Asking only the quieter people to explain themselves. Everyone writes one, including the leader.
Common questions
How long should a working styles session take
About half a day for a small team, if people draft their answers in advance. The sharing and agreeing is the valuable part, so protect time for it rather than for filling in forms on the day.
Do I need an outside facilitator
No. A manager can run it from a simple set of prompts. An outside facilitator helps if the team is large, if trust is low, or if you want the leader to take part rather than run the room.
What is the difference between this and a personality test
A personality test scores a person against a model. A working styles session produces each person's own account of how they work, in their words, which tends to be trusted and used for longer.
How do we stop the result being forgotten
Keep the written manuals somewhere the team uses, and bring them out at onboarding, planning, and when a recurring friction needs sorting. A shared platform keeps them live as people join and change.