Building Trust and Courage Together Workshop

Read time: 4 minutes

Most teams want to be more open, more honest, more connected.

And yet—when it’s time to speak up, give feedback, admit a mistake, or ask for help—something gets in the way. That something is usually fear.

In this workshop, I’ll walk your team through a set of practical, research-backed behaviours that build real trust—not the fluffy kind, but the kind you notice when people are willing to speak plainly, take responsibility, and actually listen to each other.

It’s grounded in Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, but it’s not just for leaders. It’s for anyone who works with people (which, let’s be honest, is most of us).

Why does this matter?

Because trust isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s what makes work bearable, and sometimes even good.

Without it, you get confusion, resentment, and silence when people most need to talk.

With it, people show up differently. Teams work. Things move.

Most teams don’t underperform because of a lack of skill.

They underperform because no one ever taught them how to talk about the hard stuff.

Or how to be honest without being harsh.

Or how to admit they don’t know something without feeling small.

So people avoid, deflect, or pretend. And it all slowly adds up.

Here’s the thing: psychological safety isn’t just a buzzword. It’s measurable, and it’s usually missing in teams that are stuck.

This workshop doesn’t fix everything, but it gives people language, space, and structure to start doing trust differently.

What Participants Will Walk Away With

By attending this workshop, participants get:

Let’s get into it…

Workshop Title

Building Trust and Courage Together

Duration: 2 hours

Purpose: Help team members grow in self-awareness, build trust, and practise courageous communication.

Workshop Objectives

 Increase self-awareness around behaviours that build or block trust
Understand and apply the BRAVING framework in team interactions
Practise giving and receiving honest, respectful feedback
Build confidence in having courageous, values-driven conversations
Commit to personal actions that strengthen trust and connection in the team

Materials Needed

 Flipchart or whiteboard
Markers
Sticky notes
Printed copies of the BRAVING acronym (1 per person)
Timer or phone stopwatch
 Name badges (if group members don’t know each other well)

Workshop Plan

Welcome and Warm-Up (15 min)

Self-Reflection: Your Leadership Armour (20 min)

BRAVING Trust Check (30 min)

Practising Courageous Conversations (30 min)

Commitments and Close (25 min)

Conclusion

Most teams don’t need another motivational talk.

They need space to practise the things that actually build trust—like saying no clearly, owning mistakes without panic, or just listening without jumping in to fix.

That’s what this workshop is for.

It doesn’t promise instant change, but it creates the conditions for it: clarity, reflection, and a bit of discomfort in a safe space.

And that’s usually where better conversations begin.

If your team is struggling with unspoken tension, unclear expectations, or a general sense that something’s off but no one’s naming it—this is a good place to start.

Quiet, grounded, and practical.

No big breakthroughs required. Just small shifts, practised often.

If you want the slides and handouts for this workshop, you can get them in my Bestselling Book Workshops Bundle.

You get this workshop and others, including all slides containing the process, statistics, visuals, templates, workbooks and handouts.

If growing teams and organizations using the power of workshops is a goal of yours, you can shortcut your journey and join 11,000+ others here.

See you next week.