Finding the best corporate team building activity isn’t always easy. In fact, what is ‘best’ has variables that are dependent upon the make up of your team or your company. Additionally, team building has a bad reputation because there are so many uncomfortable, non-productive programs out there. I love this quote from an article about a typical corporate team building activity, “The road to hell is paved with trust falls and good intentions“. When I’m contacted by potential clients, one of the first things I hear is that their team dreads organized team building. That’s a shame because it doesn’t have to be this way.
Attributes Of A Good Corporate Team Building Activity
- Fun – You can’t fake fun. Something is either fun or it’s not. Although what constitutes a fun experience may be different for each of your team members, you can find a program that will engage the majority of your people. Our clients always have fun at our team building events, and yet they always seem surprised by this!
- Listening and Sharing – Sharing is closely linked to listening. When you listen to someone it implies that you’re allowing them to express themselves and share a part of themselves. In a program that allows brainstorming (open exchange of ideas), people feel safe sharing. I’m partial to programs that allow both intellectual and physical activity. It’s important to think, to explore and share new ideas. It’s also fun to do something physical. But physical activity doesn’t have to include dangling off a cliff. It could be as simple as painting, walking, throwing a ball around, acting, singing…the possibilities are endless.
- Takeaways – It’s important to take something away from your corporate team building activity. This could be a feeling of hope, enthusiasm or accomplishment. Or it could be something tangible; like a work of art the group creates. When we work with clients, our participants write and record songs. The songs are powerful take-aways that help extend the impact of a team building event.
- Developing – The foundation of every successful team building program is development. A successful program will start with your team as it currently exists. It will then take everyone through an experience that moves people forward toward positive change or positive reinforcement of the qualities that already make your team successful – or both! You want to begin somewhere, experience something, and end with a feeling of transformation and empowerment. That’s team building!