Rituals are the key to better meetings and collaboration. Let me share 25 of my favourites...

 

Humans are ritualistic beings. We inherently lean into habitual ways of doing things, ascribing them meaning. 

Firstly let's define a ritual as: "actions that a person or group performs repeatedly, following a script, to which they have given symbolism and meaning" (thank you Joumana Mattar)

There are plenty of unhelpful rituals in collaboration (arriving to meetings late, not doing the prep, need I go on...?!). But rituals can also help us harness the helpful, prosocial behaviours we want.

I love 'good' rituals in collaboration because they package together values and habit into something clear and explicit. They:

- help establish and reinforce helpful behaviours or habits in groups

- take the strain of rather than relying on willpower or self-awareness

- help people navigate important things they might normally avoid, like conflict

- are an easy way for people to develop a skill, they otherwise couldn't be bothered to!

 

There are LOTS of rituals we could talk about but I'm just going to focus on 25 simple ones you can use in meetings to carve out that groove for you and your team.

Some work in bigger groups, some in smaller groups, some are about keeping shorter meetings precise, others are about creating space in longer sessions.

 

Rituals to open meetings

 Purpose: Setting tone, welcoming, creating presence, helping people switch into group mode

 

1. Shared intention setting: Prompt everyone to take a breath, and to type a word into the chat that captures what they hope to give or receive during the session.

Encourage people to add emojis to acknowledge what they see (sorry, I hate word clouds so haven't mentioned them but I know some people love them!)

 

2. Silent welcome: As people join the call, display a slide or a single sentence from a team or project value (e.g., “You belong here. Your story matters.”).

Quietly greet a few names out loud to humanise the gathering without overwhelming formality.

 

3. "One thing on your mind" pulse: Poll or chat prompt: “Share one thing on your mind today, professional or personal.”

Helps people arrive fully and brings their whole self without pressure.

 

4. Personal connection prompt: In breakouts, have pairs answer a simple starter question (e.g., “What’s something recently that made you feel proud or hopeful?”).

 

5. Quick pulse: ‘What’s at stake?’: Ask: “Why does this topic matter today?” — a 30-second reflection helps frame importance, even in short meetings.

 

6. Generosity rule: Open every session by saying (your variation of): “In this space, we assume good intent and speak with care.”

It’s simple and keeps group norms alive without needing long agreements.

 

7. No one speaks twice until everyone has spoken once: Start with a round (could be factual e.g. an update or something more connection-based)

Show you mean business - we are ALL contributors today.

 

8. About this session: write a welcome and a few notes about the session and drop it into the chat e.g. Duration, purpose, format, whether slide will be shared after, links they need, tech in use.

Provides orientation and shows design and care. You might need to drop it again as latecomers arrive (and it's great for people arriving at different times)

 

Rituals during the session

Purpose: Gathering insight, developing trust, making progress faster

9. Living questions: Have a shared visible space (e.g., Jamboard) where participants can post live questions they’re sitting with — not to solve immediately, but to honour ongoing exploration.

10. Micro shout-outs: “Take 10 seconds to thank someone here for something they contributed today / to appreciate something you heard that was particularly useful today."

You can do this silently or aloud or in the chat, each with a different impact. 

 

11. Two Crisp Sentences: Ask everyone to limit comments or updates to two crisp sentences.

Keeps energy up and builds discipline in bigger meetings.

 

12. Meeting Wall: In every meeting, live-capture what’s emerging — not just decisions, but insights, differing points of view.

Keeps people accountable and seen. Take a photo at the end to capture.

 

13. Brainwriting: Before asking poeple to share ideas or to participate in a sensitive discussion, ask them to write down their view in the chat or shared doc at the same time.

Levels the field and reduces the influence of dominant voices.

 

14. P-GOP: Present ideas using a specific format: Problem, Goal, Options, Proposal. A full breakdown of this is here.

Speeds up lengthly idea proposals and makes them easier to consume.

 

Rituals for handling conflicts

Purpose: help people disagree well around a task (helpful) not around relationships (unhelpful)

15. Let’s name the tension: If conflict arises, try: “I sense we’re circling something uncomfortable. Shall we pause and name it?”

Gives a gentle off-ramp from avoidance and models making important tensions visible.

 

16. Two Truths: If differing perspectives emerge, summarise both: “I think we have Two Truths here. Here’s what I’m hearing... and both of these can be true.”

Acknowledges complex trade offs and gets out of 'right/wrong' debates.

 

17. Reset with shared goals: Use this line: “Let’s step back - what’s the shared purpose that connects us here?”

Helps recentre when conversation becomes stuck or splintered.

 

18. Appreciation before critique: Ask people to start any disagreement with: “What I appreciate about this idea is…” before raising concerns.

Helps people recognise and acknowledge the value in others contribution and sets everyone up to hear legitimate concerns.

 

19. Constructive rant: Carve out uninterrupted time e.g. 3mins for each person to share exactly what they think, no holds barred.

Gets the unfiltered issues on the table so they can be better understood and dealt with. An outlet for bottled up frustration. Models active listening skills.

 

 

 

Closing rituals

Purpose: Consolidating meaning, clear shared understanding, building commitment and progress after the session

 

20. Three word checkout: In the chat, one word to describe how they feel leaving the session.

Creates a visual ‘emotional map’ of the group.

 

21. Adopt an idea: After brainstorming, invite people to “adopt” an idea that resonates, committing to nurturing it or thinking more about it between sessions.

Great for less formal or divergent sessions where you want people to pick things up and run with them.

 

22. Circle of appreciation: A quick slide or verbal close: “Today, we saw...” summarising 3-4 beautiful things noticed (e.g., generosity, ambition, willingness to drop ego).

Emphasises and embeds shared values.

 

23. Preview of what’s next: End with a single powerful question or a teaser for next session: “Next week, we’ll ABC. Bring your [quality you want to see in that session].”

Starts to build the social contract for next time.

 

24. A meeting signature: Close each session with the same short phrase said by the host (and optionally repeated in chat), e.g.: “This is an epic team effort - thank you. Until next time.”

It could be affirmative about the team, or reflect a value or something about your customer. Could be the same line you show on the screen at the start.

I know this sounds cheesy. Trust me, find the right statement, say it each time - it works.

And a bonus

25. Name that meeting: Give your meeting a memorable and high value name.

You can read my guide to this here.

 

Want to go deeper? 

Some further reading if you're interested:

 

• Rituals for Virtual Meetings: Creative Ways to Engage People and Strengthen Relationships, by Glenn Fajardo and Kursat Ozenc.
• Rituals for Work: 50 Ways to Create Engagement, Shared Purpose, and a Culture that Can Adapt to Change, by Kursat Ozenc and Margaret Hagan.
• Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business, by Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner.
• The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, By Priya Parker.

 

I'll leave you with this: 

“The rituals in our life show what we care about” 

~ Kursat Ozenc