We have this activity that we sometimes do at workshops that clearly is horrifying for some participants. No, I’m not kidding. The look on a woman’s face, after explaining what they were going to need to do for the next 5 minutes caused what looked like her to fall ill. Her eyes popped wide open and she looked around to the person next to her as if to find out if they were as scared as she was.
The activity was simple. Find a person to ask the following questions to. What do you want to give in today’s workshop? What do you want to get from today’s workshop?
The challenge, from the horrified woman’s point of view was that she would have to eventually talk to someone she might not know that well, or perhaps like that much, because she was being asked to do the exercise 3 times in a row.
Certain people love team building because it invites people to get to know each other better. Some people hate it. Others kind of hold their breath and jump in hoping it won’t be as mortifying as what they are thinking in their heads. The good news is that after every team building exercise we do, even those hardened souls that begin wanting no part of it, express afterward that they actually found value in what they participated in.
Not all team building is alike. Some types can be quick and simple, like the one I just mentioned, and others are more complicated and time consuming… think weekend retreat at a ropes course. What is team building, anyway, and why does it lead to better outcomes at work?
Team building can be defined as a collective term for various types of activities that are used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks.
Team building exercises can be categorized into four different types:
Communication
Problem Solving/Decision Making
Planning/Adaptability
Building Trust
Depending on what you need to accomplish with a team, whether it is a new team or an existing one, and if there are past experiences between team members or with their boss or others in the organization, it will determine which one you might want to focus on first. Regardless of where you start, though, as a leader and manager, it is important to consistently devote time to building your team. Why? Because strong teams that communicate and problem solve effectively are more efficient and productive. When a team does not trust you or any of it’s members, the results will effect an organization’s ability to function optimally.
Here are 4 quick team building exercises for each of the categories:
Communication and Icebreakers
Go around the room at your next team meeting and have everyone to finish this statement:
“If I had one more hour this week I would….”
The answers are interesting. It quickly let’s everyone in the group know what each team member thinks they should be doing and don’t have time for or what they want to be doing and are not making time for. Either way, it can be educational to listen to the answers you will get.
Problem Solving/Decision Making
Planning/Adaptability
Building Trust
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