From joke to repair
Use a brief interrupt, impact naming, and repair path after a joke undermines belonging.
Retro moment A joke about the "offshore team loving nights" lands in a launch retro. Sanjay goes quiet, and the facilitator is looking at the next agenda item. The room is deciding whether stereotypes pass as humor or get repaired. Repair path Interrupt -> impact -> norm Use a short line that stops the pattern, names impact without mind-reading intent, and points the group back to the standard. Shortcut Laugh, wince, and move on. The group learns correction is part of teamwork. Psychological safety grows when useful correction is possible without humiliation. 01 Pause 02 Deflect 03 Try Interrupt First…
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