Business is hectic and conference agenda time is scarce. I get it. That’s why, from time to time, we’re asked to lead team building during breakfast. It can be a great solution to accomplish a lot within a given time frame.
Many companies are aware of the possibility of including team building in a lunch or dinner event. And while breakfast is often overlooked, nothing pairs better with that first cup of coffee than an opportunity to make connections, engage and have fun. Team building during breakfast is a grrrrrreat way to start the day.
So if you’re organizing a company-wide conference, or simply planning to treat your colleagues to something special to kick off their day, consider a team building wake up.
Why Put Team Building First
Team building brings your colleagues together and gets them on the same page. It helps everyone remember the “why” behind the day-to-day challenges and achievements of your business.
Starting the day with great content and helping people reconnect with values and mission will help you optimize for the rest of the day. When done correctly, team building during breakfast can actually boost efficiency and cut down on inter-office drama.
- Show you care – Companies that cultivate a vibrant corporate culture put their people first, so team building events happen consistently. Team members understand that the expectation for growth and development is part of a succesful culture. Therefore, continuing education opportunities for personal growth on a consistent basis are not only accepted, they’re welcome.
- Transparency – The lines of communication stay open when colleagues have outlets to express both ideas and vent frustrations. This type of transparency also fosters innovation. People want to feel free to share new ideas and to know that others hear what they have to say. Good team building helps accomplish this.
- Anytime, anywhere – Team building can happen nearly anywhere, anytime. At your office, at breakfast while traveling, you name it. You just have to look for opportunities. From professionally facilitated team building companies like us here at Kidbilly Music, to DIY programs, there are countless opportunities to incorporate teamwork into your breakfast meetings.
5 Ideas For Team Building During Breakfast
When a company has a “check the box” attitude about team building, they often don’t take the time to source great programs. That gives team programs a bad rap since poorly planned programs are often boring or irrelevant. While it may seem easy to check the box just to say you’ve done some team work, it’s really counter productive.
The good news is, it’s not too hard to find great team building that works during breakfast. Below are five ideas to get you started. These options are morning kick-offs that deliver quality and engagement. These suggestions will help you bring out the best in your people; both individually, and collectively.
- Singing A Happy Tune – Songs have a special way of evoking emotion and memories. Music is already an integral part of everyone’s life. So choosing a musical program ensures that everyone will be able to connect. Team building through song® is what my company does. Our team of award-winning hit songwriters helps everyone think creatively and work collaboratively to tell your story and sing your song. Work together as one large group or break into smaller teams for some friendly competition. Inhibitions melt way when people are swept into a collaborative brainstorming activity and realize they won’t be singled out for a solo. We’ll get your team snapping their fingers, singing their song and feeling like rock stars. Plus, you’ll walk away with tangible ROI – a recording of the song you create.
- Lego® My Eggo – When we’re truly having fun, we’re not posturing or overly self-aware. Our authentic selves shine through…kind of like a kid playing with Legos®. I had the great pleasure of experiencing a Lego® team building event a few years back. This program is professionally facilitated, and needs to be. Using Lego blocks you’ll build models that illustrate the current state of your team or your company and then you’ll build models that illustrate where you’d like your organization to go. Everyone works individually with their own bricks at first. Then, working with the people at your breakfast table, you’ll pull the best pieces of each person’s model to create an ideal model of what you’re all visioning…sorta like building the future!
- Coffee Talk – Monthly chats are a simple and very effective DIY idea that’s easy to pull off anywhere; at a conference table or even over video chat for remote teams. Grab a bag of bagels and a carafe of coffee. Set aside thirty minutes (or a full hour if you can) and set this one rule; no work topics. This ensures that the conversation stays communal and not task-driven. You can set a specific theme each month, like sports, music, gardening or hobbies. Or let the team take it the conversation wherever it may go. That being said, a team leader should moderate. This is a great ice breaker for morning meetings, building trust and breaking down barriers.
- Cooking It Up – This program can be professionally facilitated or DIY. One way to ensure your team eats the most important meal of the day is to make it yourself. Local chefs or hospitality groups and companies like Sur le Table lead these types of events for companies all the time. Learning about new ingredients, creating recipes together, following instructions and working as a team to achieve a beautiful dish is a delicious idea for breakfast team building. You can even make it DIY and have each team member bring in a favorite breakfast recipe. Or create a panel of judges from another department and have your own “Cooking Championship.” The only challenge might be deciding who’ll do the dishes…
- Story Time – Stories aren’t just for bed time anymore. Story slams are a way for everyone to learn more about each other. Through storytelling, you’ll learn something new about your co-workers as they reveal something about themselves they probably wouldn’t ordinarily share. You can facilitate a story slam yourself or bring in a professional to lead your group. Here are some DIY tips: Start by providing categories for topics such as work meltdowns, a great or an awful sports experience, a worst or best date or the dream vacation. The possibilities are endless. Good stories always involve a splash of drama and usually a bit of exaggeration. People won’t be bored. In fact, typically the stories just get better and better as each unfolds.
Well, there you have it. If you want to start your day off strong, or if it’s simply the only agenda time you have available, team building during breakfast really works.