Creating a Balanced Space with Mortenson Construction
I have gone to networking events, gatherings, and meetups where I found myself hovering at the edges. You know that feeling?
I would watch others connect with ease, conversations flow, laughter rising… except where I was!
Creating a Balanced Space was designed so everyone at an event could experience what it’s like to create an environment where all participants are engaged.
Which is why I was doing mental cartwheels when life brought me Mortenson Construction, a construction company who hired me to deliver this experience.
The purpose of this article is to share some of our process together, what we did, and how it was received.
Prep meeting
Mortenson Construction shared that they hosted events specifically for smaller contractors. These contractors could meet one another and meet people from their staff.
However, some of the Mortenson Construction team began noticing a pattern. Smaller contractors who showed up hoping to meet them found it hard to connect.
What was going on?
When we sat down together, the team spoke openly.
One common observation was that many contractors were unwilling to speak with smaller vendors unless they already had actual work to offer them.
If there is nothing to offer right now, why start the conversation, right?
Another pattern involved nerves.
The room looked lively, but inside many people felt anxious being in such a large setting with people they did not know well.
It was easier to stay near familiar faces instead of introducing themselves to someone new.
The third pattern was about skill.
The team at Mortenson shared with me that some of their staff were unsure how to approach someone new in a way that felt natural.
Together these patterns created an event that was meant to be welcoming but ended up feeling unbalanced.
Creating a Balanced Space
When it was time to gather for the experience, a little over 30 team members joined.
Some things to highlight from our time together were naming the worries that show up in these rooms.
To make this easier, we created a fictional character everyone could imagine called The Fearsome Crow. (Insert diabolical laugh here.)
This crow circles above people at gatherings and whispers every doubt it can think of. We invited participants to speak those worries aloud.
What does The Fearsome Crow say to you?
“You don’t sound intelligent”
“If you don’t have work to offer, you have nothing to offer”
“You don’t know how to break the ice”
It was powerful to watch people realize nearly everyone had heard something from The Fearsome Crow.
Practicing a New Way of Showing Up
After people had a chance to name it and claim it, participants explored what it might look like to walk into a gathering and simply not listen to The Fearsome Crow.
To make this interested, I had people talk with colleagues they typically do not connect with.
It was great to watch this because you could tell the crow was saying all sorts of things about this idea.
But after the initial resistance, people started being more open and receptive. They got to experience what it’s like to connect with someone new and how powerful taht can be.
One person even shared, “I’ve been with the company for more than ten years. We have never had conversations like this before. This feels good.”
The Result
The team at Mortenson Construction shared during our debrief meeting that the training’s impact showed up most clearly in how people interacted afterward.
Relationships began to form that hadn’t existed before.
At future networking events, participants moved beyond exchanging names to actually talking, and asking curious questions, and smaller contractors felt seen instead of drifting to the edges.
Inside the team, several people said they felt closer to coworkers and gained language for what happens internally at events, so those moments no longer felt like private struggles to carry alone.
The purpose of the Creating a Balanced Space experience is to create moments where people can pause, connect with others, and feel seen and supported in demanding industries.
If this resonates, reach out and let’s create an experience for your team, community, or audience.