Team Building Activities: Getting the Most from the Essentials

Ideas for team building activities can include virtually anything that involves getting your people to interact, cooperate, communicate, and hopefully have some fun at the same time. This is a great way to get staff away from the rules and roles of the office and take a break from the projects and pressures everyone has been dealing with, yet still work on developing transferable skills to take back to work.

Some of the essentials of team building include:
– emphasizing a team focus on shared goals
– maintaining individual commitment to these goals
– identifying problem areas and working together to overcome these
– developing clear strategies to achieve goals
– celebrating achievements together

Engaging in team building activities can help improve team members’ ability to relate to one another, appreciate one another’s strengths, provide stress relief, and renew a shared commitment to working together toward common goals. Activities can provide simple illustrations of how a team is more than the sum of its parts, and how much more we can accomplish by working together.

Although the theme of the activities chosen for your team building purposes may vary depending on the field and particular interests of your organization, activities are generally customizable to any sized group and suit a wide variety of individuals. The main requirements should be active participation by all team members, and a positive attitude.

In order to get the best results, activities should be ones that get everyone out of their chairs, encourage creative thinking and enthusiasm, and require that team members actively work together to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Many professional team building programs integrate humorous props to help create a playful approach to the day’s lessons, and teamwork in general. Timed exercises or a competition between groups may be used to further boost energy levels and prompt a focused, coordinated effort towards achieving the specific goal.

Team building consultants use everything from art, music and cooking to extreme sport simulations, and more to demonstrate the finer principles of effective team work, often with great success. The fun atmosphere and break from the daily routine can help transcend personality issues or other setbacks at work and provide a fresh start for tackling challenges back at the office, with a renewed sense of unity and camaraderie.

Investigate the teambuilding programs and services available in your area, or browse some ideas online to start planning your next team development day. The time you spend nurturing positive working relationships and reaffirming your shared commitment to common goals will have numerous benefits, from a more pleasant daily work atmosphere, to increased productivity. Make the most of your best resources, your people, and find out how much more you can achieve together.