Published on: January 21, 2026
A NABITA Tip of the Week by Tim Cason, M.Ed.
Strong Behavioral Intervention Teams (BITs) are built with intentionality. Thoughtful investment in team development can make all the difference in fostering a collaborative, communicative, and effective team that better protects your school and community members.
When teams set clear expectations early, they create a foundation of shared process and goals that can prevent future misunderstandings, reduce friction, and facilitate more efficient case management. Expectations should be clearly defined for three key areas: the team as a whole, individual members, and the team chair.
Defining Teamwide, Interpersonal, and Chair-Specific Expectations
Establishing shared expectations helps prevent confusion and promotes a healthy, productive team culture.
- Team expectations should address the operational elements of the work, including attendance, participation, preparation, information sharing, and case follow-up norms.
- Interpersonal expectations should focus on how team members communicate with one another, manage disagreements, and offer mutual professional support, which is critical in emotionally heavy or high-stakes conversations.
- Chair-specific expectations should clearly outline the chair’s responsibilities for facilitating meetings, assigning action items, managing follow-up, and serving as the team’s primary point of coordination.
When these layers of expectations are explicitly named and agreed upon, the team is better positioned to work collaboratively and confidently. Too often, expectations are treated as a one-time conversation. Instead, teams should plan to revisit them regularly throughout the year to assess what’s working and where adjustments are needed. Creating a team expectations agreement or charter that outlines shared values and commitment can serve as a touchstone to guide these check-ins.
Creating Space for Reflection, Alignment, and Connection
Expectation-setting can be integrated into a retreat or kickoff meeting at the start of the semester or year. It doesn’t have to be elaborate; it can be a half-day or even a dedicated meeting, but carving out time for reflection, alignment, and connection is critical. Part of the time should be structured around operational expectations, and the other part should be intentionally unstructured to create opportunities to get to know one another as individuals, which can help build safety and trust among team members.
Strengthening Communication Skills
Effective BIT work depends on strong processes and on how team members communicate, especially when cases are complex, perspectives differ, and emotions run high. Setting clear expectations for communication and modeling healthy team dynamics helps to create a culture where members feel respected, heard, and free to collaborate even under pressure. The tools below can help teams strengthen these skills and build a foundation of trust and consistency.
PIN Model: This tool for resolving conflict in a non-confrontational and constructive manner examines each person’s Position, Interests, and Needs (PIN). It helps the team move beyond surface disagreements to better understand the motivations and values driving different viewpoints.
Personality-Style Inventories: The Birkman Method, True Colors, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can help team members reflect on their own tendencies and preferences and learn to adapt to others’ styles. Training in Crucial Conversations, which teaches participants to stay calm, speak clearly, and listen actively during high-stakes or emotionally charged discussions, can be highly valuable for BITs that regularly address sensitive topics. Likewise, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) provides a structured approach for expressing observations, feelings, needs, and requests with empathy and clarity, helping to de-escalate tension and foster mutual understanding.
Trauma-Informed Communication: Equip team members with strategies for interacting with one another in ways that recognize the impact of trauma, prioritize emotional safety, and reduce the likelihood of re-traumatization. For teams contending with emotionally complex or high-risk cases, this lens is essential to manage effects of vicarious trauma that are common to team engagement with the anguish and pain of others.
These tools directly support trust, flexibility, and transparency that a high-functioning BIT needs when the pressure is on.
Building Healthy Team Dynamics
Group norms are the informal, shared rules that guide team behavior and help prevent misalignment on issues such as response times, meeting etiquette, and decision-making processes. These norms, typically framed as protocols, often fill the gaps left by formal expectations, supporting smoother interactions. Additionally, team leaders or chairs should consider scheduling one-on-one check-ins with each member early in the year as opportunities for team members to share feedback, express their needs, and feel heard outside the group context.
NABITA Can Help
In the long run, teams that intentionally invest time in building and maintaining strong dynamics are better prepared to navigate high-stress situations with clarity and cohesion. This is your annual reminder: the time and energy you invest now in clarifying expectations, growing skills, and strengthening relationships will pay off with a safer, smoother, and more resilient team in the future.
NABITA can help you set clear expectations and establish healthy team dynamics. Reach out to inquiry@tngconsulting.com for personalized, expert consulting services, or enroll your team in NABITA’s BIT Standards and Best Practices.