Team Building Do's And Don'ts
Having organised a variety of team building events, from after work socials, in the local pub, to corporate events, my reward and sense of achievement has come from when it works well and everyone has had a great time!
This is usually evident the morning after when colleagues are seen ‘buzzing’ from their experience, laughing and talking together.
Done the right way, team building can become a priceless piece of the corporate puzzle, increasing efficiency, morale, productivity, and ultimately profitability.
Part of team building is learning to rely on teammates to get the task completed on time and under budget. Team members, should be encouraged to spend time understanding and learning, each other’s strengths and weaknesses and apply those skills to practical situations. The more that teammates highlight each other’s skills and learn to strengthen weaknesses, the more confident the team will become, developing trust in each other and become more efficient and effective.
When team building activities are done badly they achieve nothing, whilst costing the company a small fortune!
The phrase ‘win-win’ doesn’t even begin to describe just how beneficial team building can be.
Check out my list of ‘Team Building Do’s and Don’ts ‘to ensure your company’s team building activities are a success:
DO connect activities to the challenges that your employees face, while at work.
Try to choose activities which to can be connected and replicated as close as possible to the events your employees face in their day-to-day jobs. There are companies that can run events and will ensure every event delivered is an inclusive experience, suitable for all players, allowing full participation for every team member.
DON’T create activities which demand too much of physical endurance for the team.
Think about the diversity of your team, their different ages, genders, abilities. It’s important for all to be included in the activity and fully engage in what they are having to do. Make sure that everyone participates rather than some employees being mere spectators. Physical activities, especially outdoors, can be memorable and successful but the last thing you want is half the team off sick the following day!
DO follow-up on lessons learned. No training session is a single dose cure, all lesson. For a team to acquire certain skills or behave in a particular manner, there always should be repeated sessions till the time, the desired result is achieved. You always need to evaluate the performance to understand the difference.
DON’T create events that don’t focus on the Objective. Activities should be created keeping in mind the objective of the session. Don’t make them too fun oriented or too emotionally draining that at the end of the session, you actually forget the objective behind the session and there is no difference in the behaviour that you were aiming for.
DO make the event theme as memorable as you can. The main objective of a team building event is to inspire the team to work well together and should include all staff, from managers, to assistants, receptionists, to general clerks.
Take photos and videos, these can be circulated to remind the team of the event and can be used as feedback later.
DON’T have the event in your office. If your budget allows then do go off site, if this is not possible then choose an area to hold the activity as far away from the usual working space. People need to be removed from their usual work place so that they can focus without interruption and can mentally clear their minds of the usual work issues.
DO keep everyone in the team involved in creating this event and coming up with ideas. Prepare everyone for the event, and keep them informed so they are ready when the day arrives. Nobody likes to be forced into doing something, some colleague may need more information and encouragement before the day arrives.
DON’T forget to give all staff the opportunity to come up with ideas and choose something that everyone can take part in no matter what their gender, ability, status within the company. Ensure on the day that the teams are mixed well, we have all at times experienced staff activities where some colleagues find it difficult to mix and you end up with the same ‘clicky groups’, I know I have!
DO consider hiring a company to run your ‘Team Building’ days and implement your programme. When there is a limit on time and effort while creating or facilitating an activity programme, it is always advisable to take external help. There are companies who will compile an event that is completely bespoke and tailored to your individual company needs and objectives. They provide highly experienced event staff who will ensure the smooth running and organisation of your event, what could be easier!
DON'T just stick to the same old tired team building activities. There are loads of exciting and innovative things you can do with your team. Just by spending a little time on the internet you will find lots of options try searching ‘team building activities’ in your area. I personally have struggled through days of ‘power point presentations’ and the usual role play activities which leave you cowering in the corner of the room with embarrassment!
CONCLUSION
A good team building activity can be a welcome break from the typical work day. You know your team better than anyone else, so pick an activity that will challenge them and bring them closer together. There are endless options out there, Escape Rooms, Crafting, Community working, and Treasure Hunts to name but a few!
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# Team Building
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# Team Building Escape Room
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