Supporting a team or group using Habit Builder? You'll find responses to common questions and tips for supporting participant success.
Actionable Roles
You are a critical part of your group's habit building success, and you'll find answers to common questions you may encounter if you have one of the following Actionable Roles:
Facilitator or Coach: You're a workshop host, delivering live training or providing coaching for participants in a program that includes Habit Builder. You're helping them set up their Commitment, and keep on track with habit building.
You'll find Habit Builder FAQs most helpful.
Leader-led Conversations Host: You're a Leader or designated host running an Actionable Conversation with a team and you're supporting them to set up Habit Commitments at the end of the Conversation. You'll also be supporting habit building activity between Conversations.
You'll want to review both Leader-led Conversations FAQs and Habit Builder FAQs.
Manager: You're leading a team that has participated in a workshop or program that includes Habit Builder and supporting your team with their habit building activity. You may or may not be using Habit Builder yourself.
Check out the Habit Builder FAQs below!
You'll also want to take a look at What Do I Do as a Manager?
Habit Builder FAQs
If you are a Facilitator, Coach, Conversation Host, or Manager supporting your group or team to set up and use Habit Builder, you'll find responses to common questions below.
When should Commitments be created?
Commitments should be created by everyone before you wrap up your Session.
If someone doesn’t have an email address, or doesn’t want to use their own, how can they create a Commitment?
Participants can go to any free email provider (google, outlook online, yahoo etc.) and create an account to use for their commitment, then add their phone number for text notifications.
If someone does not have their device, how can I help them create a Commitment?
Participants can visit start.actionable.co and use the Session ID at any time to create their Commitment. Note: We find there is less chance of making a commitment after the session. Encourage your group to make commitments right in the room!
My participants are worried about what they share in the platform? Who will see it?
The best use of the platform is for individual tracking and progress. Information entered in the Actionable system provides a record of progress over time.
According to author and behavioral psychologist, Daniel Pink, there are three elements to intrinsic motivation; autonomy, mastery and purpose. Mastery, specifically, comes through the regular capture, review, and reflection on your progress. This is the primary use for the data. The system also generates anonymized, aggregated analytics reports to provide program insight into what’s resonating, what’s being applied, and where the program can be improved.
Commitments are visible to the Program Administrator, Accountability Buddy, assigned Manager and/or Host if authorized. For more information on data privacy and protection, please visit the Actionable Trust Center.
How often should we check in on our progress?
Participants are notified via email or SMS by a personalized setting they create. We recommend that notifications are set to at least 5 days per week and that participants check in at least 2 times per week for optimal change success.
How long does it take to check in?
It takes less than 30 seconds to check in. Simply click the link in your email or text to access the check in wheel and select your progress rating for the day. Create a quick note on why you gave yourself that rating and you're done!
How do I view my group’s Commitments?
If visibility is enabled, you can access this via your Actionable Dashboard. You'll receive login instructions from your Program lead. Once logged in go to either "My Sessions" (Hosts/Coaches) or "My Team" (Managers) to select the Module and session (or participant commitment for Managers). See more about the visibility differences here!
- Hosts - you'll see all sessions you've been assigned. Once in the session, select the Participants Tab and you will see all participants from your session. Select each participant's name to view their activity and notes. You can scroll through all the participants by selecting the arrow next to the participant’s name at the top of the screen.
- Managers - from the My Team screen, select the Module and participant you'd like to view. Once in their commitment dashboard, you'll be to view their activity and notes. For participants in the same session, you can scroll through to the next participant by selecting the arrow next to their name. To view participants in different sessions, go back to My Team screen. Read more here.
How do I comment on progress?
When you are reviewing individual commitments, you can use the Comment box to leave progress and coaching notes for individual participants. Hosts leading as session can also use our Broadcast Comment option to send a message to the whole group from the "Participants" screen.
What if a participant starts their commitment off-cycle? How will they stay on track with the group?
Anyone can end their commitment early to stay on track. Have the participant go to their Dashboard after checking in, scroll below the check in wheel to the tabs. In the Progress Tab or the Settings Tab they will find “End Commitment Early”. By selecting this button, they can complete their reflection and join with the rest of the cohort back on cycle with the next commitment.
Leader-led Conversations FAQs
If you're a Leader or designated Host running an Actionable Conversation with your team, you'll find responses to common questions and some helpful tips here.
How long will it take for me to prepare for my conversation with my team?
It should take approximately 10-15 minutes to prepare for your conversation.
When should I have the conversation with my team?
Best practices show that hosting the conversation during one of your regularly scheduled meetings is really helpful. You could extend your meeting slightly to include the conversation and still cover your regular agenda.
What if my whole team is not available at the same time?
You could break the team up into 2 groups, still using the same resources and Commitment instructions. If only 1 person can’t make it, perhaps have the conversation 1:1 with them, or ask a member of the team to do so as a debrief.
How do I prepare for the conversation with my team?
Locate your Host Notes on your Dashboard under "My Sessions" >"Session Materials". Read the prep-materials, download the Commitment instructions, download and review the Host Notes. It’s helpful to add a few ideas or thought starters from your own experience to your Host Notes as you prepare for your conversation.
I’m not an expert facilitator, what experience do I need to do this well?
You don’t need any experience to host the conversation. In fact, not being the expert is perfect. This is a conversation with your team. People you know well, and you are provided with Host Notes that you can read or paraphrase as you become accustomed to the process. Relax and enjoy this new way of interacting with your team. They will really appreciate the time, and so will you.
How do I handle the long silences in the conversation that might appear? (aka – what if nobody talks?)
It can happen because you and your team are getting used to this new way of being together. And, some people in the room may need to think deeply about the question and their ideas before responding, so let the silence be the space for that thinking. Preparing examples from your own experience can also help you start the conversation.
What happens if we don’t get through the whole conversation?
The goal of this program is to have new conversations and make commitments to new behaviors that will change the way we work. If you only have time for 1 section of the conversation before making the commitments, that is just fine. Do not skip the Commitments!
Just in case: How do I prompt Participants to make a Commitment?