practice · all tools
Time-out signal for process awareness
To enable any team member to pause interaction when communication patterns have become unproductive. Establish an agreed signal (such as forming a 'T' with hands) that any team member can use to request a brief pause; the team stops and briefly notices together what is happening in the interaction before resuming. An ongoing team scaffold (team practice), run as needed, not as a one-off session.
Practical
- Time
- 0-2 min
- Group
- 3–20 · small-group
- Settings
- in-person, online
- Materials
- None beyond ordinary meeting/work settings
- Mechanisms
- life-embedding, open-awareness, feedback-mirroring
- Change scope
- state → skill · recurring-practice (As needed)
Origin & where it lives
Thomas Jordan & Claude [AI] (IDG for Teams handbook — team scaffold) — IDG practice (idg.thomasjordan.se)
Instructions: open online
In this directory via Thomas Jordan's IDG Resource Library
Team leader role (Jordan): Introduce and legitimize the practice. Be the first to use it. Respond appreciatively when others use it—never dismiss a time-out request.
status: checked · added 2026-08-25