3 Responses

1. Team Building activities

   I find that activities which combine specific achievement ("My team can . . .") with an element of competition can be both fun and effective. Your group has to be big enough to break into more than one team. Create a goal with clearly defined parameters e.g. "Your team must build a paper aeroplane capable of flying 3 meters at a minimum height of 1.5 m using the following materials. Points will be awarded for . . . (detail sub-targets so that everyone achieves something and specify how many points for each so they can prioritise and plan. ) The team with the highest score wins (something simple but desirable)."

   Define an achievable goal but add extra points for creativity, innovation, activities that involve the whole team etc. Be sure to include some red herrings amongst the permitted activities/materials to encourage debate and analysis. Set tight time deadlines and make the evaluation activity fun.

2. this might help

   Hi Miriam

   You could have a brainstorm of "good" and "bad" activities for teambuilding/teambonding;

   I was running a team leaders’ workshop some years ago and the topic of "teambuilding" activities came up.  One particular manager pooh-poohed the efficacy of having regular team events during the year on the grounds that they were ipso facto devisive.  I asked him to explain his rationale and the conversation went something like this:

   "I’ve organised teambuilding events but it is always the same people that turn up and get involved and the same people who just don’t want to know, consequently instead of building a team you end up just creating sub groups and cliques"

   "What sort of events have you tried?" 

   "Oh, we’ve had ten pin bowling, go karting, beer fest nights, a paintballing day on a Saturday, a five a side footy evening, you name it we did it"

   "and who were the people who always turned up?"

   "All the usual suspects; Stevo, Tom, Andy, Dave, Mike, Psycho, Jon, Pete and me"

   "and who were the people that just wouldn’t get involved?"

   "The anti-social ones; Mary, Jane, Jo-anne, Carole, Penny.  They just aren’t interested in being in the team"

   ………….

   Believe it or not, the chap just hadn’t realised that perhaps the activities he selected were not very inclusive!  I’ve also seen a manager book a formal team building day of rock climbing without thinking about the heavily pregnant member of the team and the guy in the wheelchair.  Ditto I saw one manager plan a major booze up as a teambuilding event without consideration of the two Muslim team members and the recovering alcoholic.

   I hope this helps

   Rus

   http://www.coach-and-courses.com

3. Team building games

   Hi Miriam

   You could try Magic Carpet (fun exercise with minimum materials required, and a review process built in) or Human Bingo (great as an ice breaker at the start). Download copies of each exercise from http://www.abctrainingsolutions.biz/management_skills_free_download.html . Scroll down to Team Building exercises 1 and 2.

   Hope that helps

   Bryan