STEP 1.BEFORE: Select an activity that’s good for your team.
Start with a clear objective in your mind.
Your goal should be:
• Attainable by your team.
• Relevant and applicable to where they are as a team right now.
• Something that will be reinforced long after this activity.
Plan on this activity being one of many small steps your team will start taking now.
Match your activity that will best help you get the results you want.
Consider:
• The current level of competition within the team.
• The emotional health of the participants in dealing with defeat.
• How intimidating or intimidated the participants are.
• Your ability to diffuse real conflict among the team members.
STEP 2 .BEFORE: prepare for your team-building activity.
Read through the entire activity several times.
Obtain all necessary materials.
Practice what you are going to say when you start the activity with your team.
If the activity requires you to have a role (card-dealer, judge, moderator, etc.), practice your comments or actions.
Set up the room.
If the activity’s rules or steps are lengthy, write them ahead of time, and post them on the wall so everyone can see them throughout the activity.
Anticipate potential problems.
STEP 3.DURING: explain the activity to the team.
Set the mood.
Explain what the activity is.
Explain why you are doing this particular activity.
Explain the activity’s rules or steps.
Have the team move through the activity’s steps as you explain them.
Distribute the materials after you’ve fully explained the activity.
STEP 4.DURING: check for understanding before beginning.
Make sure your team understands the activity.
When the activity will result in one or more winners make sure everyone is clear on what criteria will be used to determine who wins.
Declare up from front that you are the final judge on all disagreements about who wins.
When you are confident everyone understands the activity and is ready to go, ask one last time, “What remaining questions do you have before we start?”
STEP 5. DURING: run the activity.
Once they begin the activity, see that they are following the steps or rules.
Encourage and support them all.
Make yourself available to clarify steps or redirect the time.
Throughout the activity, watch for things you will want to bring up later during the Debrief.
If the activity is timed, watch the clock, and give a “time check”occassinally.
Don’t stop the activity unless it really runs amuck.
STEP 6.DURING: debrief the activity.
The Debrief is the most critical part of the team-building activity. It is the time when effective questions will guide the participants to link what they experienced in the activity with their behavior on the job. If this step is skipped or glossed over, most of the impact of the activity will be lost in a matter of days. If you do the Debrief well, the lessons learned during the activity will stay with the team indefinitely.
Ask the questions outlined in this book immediately. For most questions there is no right or wrong answer. Allow all answers to be O.K. try not to evaluate or critique any answer; just nod and accept each one as you listen it. The question for each activity should lead the team to the conclusions you want them to reach without you having to spell it out for them.
It is fine to read the questions from this book or to use notes. Stop talking, silently read the question, looks back at the team, and then asks the question. the few seconds of silence while you read are less noticeable and less offensive to the group than if you read the question aloud while looking at it.Also,making eye-contact while you ask the question is more likely to result in responses than if you do it the other way.
Another way to ask questions is to write them on index cards beforehand. Pass the index cards out, and ask the participants to take turns reading the questions and soliciting responses.
Try not to call on anyone by name unless you have to. Be comfortable with the silence. Once you have asked a question, stop talking and slowly count to 10 in your head. The silence may feel like an eternity to you, but it feels just as long to the group. Eventually someone will answer! Remember, they have never heard the question before, so it may take a few seconds to formulate a response.
Watch for heads nodding, smiles and other indications that they agree with what is being said by others. Not everyone has to respond to every question for the entire group to learn. If you see reactions that suggest disagreement, ask, "Does anyone disagree?” or “what about an opposing view?” call on the one disagreeing only as a last resort.
Repeat or quickly summarize each response offered.
If anyone gives an off-the-wall response or one that is plain wrong, ask the group how they feel about it rather than correcting someone. This technique will keep it “safe” for all participants to continue answering questions without fear of a reprimand from you.
Even if the activity did not go quite well as planned, most participants probably learned something. No matter what happened, you can always ask if the group has ever seen anything like this happen back on the job. Ask what can be learned from this experience. The answers may include what can be improved for future team-building activities.
STEP 7.AFTER: reinforce the learning back on the job.
Display anything the team created for the activity back in the workplace.
If any new terms or special words came up during the activity, use them frequently.
Refer to the activity and the lessons learned often when you are coaching, giving feedback, or conducting staff meetings.
If the activity was a huge success, you may want to repeat it soon.
Plan follow-up activities that will re-inforce, emphasize, and build upon what was learned this time.
Watch for examples of how the participants learned what was learned in the activity and got better results.
Ask participants in your next staff meeting to share what impact the activity has had on them
Start with a clear objective in your mind.
Your goal should be:
• Attainable by your team.
• Relevant and applicable to where they are as a team right now.
• Something that will be reinforced long after this activity.
Plan on this activity being one of many small steps your team will start taking now.
Match your activity that will best help you get the results you want.
Consider:
• The current level of competition within the team.
• The emotional health of the participants in dealing with defeat.
• How intimidating or intimidated the participants are.
• Your ability to diffuse real conflict among the team members.
STEP 2 .BEFORE: prepare for your team-building activity.
Read through the entire activity several times.
Obtain all necessary materials.
Practice what you are going to say when you start the activity with your team.
If the activity requires you to have a role (card-dealer, judge, moderator, etc.), practice your comments or actions.
Set up the room.
If the activity’s rules or steps are lengthy, write them ahead of time, and post them on the wall so everyone can see them throughout the activity.
Anticipate potential problems.
STEP 3.DURING: explain the activity to the team.
Set the mood.
Explain what the activity is.
Explain why you are doing this particular activity.
Explain the activity’s rules or steps.
Have the team move through the activity’s steps as you explain them.
Distribute the materials after you’ve fully explained the activity.
STEP 4.DURING: check for understanding before beginning.
Make sure your team understands the activity.
When the activity will result in one or more winners make sure everyone is clear on what criteria will be used to determine who wins.
Declare up from front that you are the final judge on all disagreements about who wins.
When you are confident everyone understands the activity and is ready to go, ask one last time, “What remaining questions do you have before we start?”
STEP 5. DURING: run the activity.
Once they begin the activity, see that they are following the steps or rules.
Encourage and support them all.
Make yourself available to clarify steps or redirect the time.
Throughout the activity, watch for things you will want to bring up later during the Debrief.
If the activity is timed, watch the clock, and give a “time check”occassinally.
Don’t stop the activity unless it really runs amuck.
STEP 6.DURING: debrief the activity.
The Debrief is the most critical part of the team-building activity. It is the time when effective questions will guide the participants to link what they experienced in the activity with their behavior on the job. If this step is skipped or glossed over, most of the impact of the activity will be lost in a matter of days. If you do the Debrief well, the lessons learned during the activity will stay with the team indefinitely.
Ask the questions outlined in this book immediately. For most questions there is no right or wrong answer. Allow all answers to be O.K. try not to evaluate or critique any answer; just nod and accept each one as you listen it. The question for each activity should lead the team to the conclusions you want them to reach without you having to spell it out for them.
It is fine to read the questions from this book or to use notes. Stop talking, silently read the question, looks back at the team, and then asks the question. the few seconds of silence while you read are less noticeable and less offensive to the group than if you read the question aloud while looking at it.Also,making eye-contact while you ask the question is more likely to result in responses than if you do it the other way.
Another way to ask questions is to write them on index cards beforehand. Pass the index cards out, and ask the participants to take turns reading the questions and soliciting responses.
Try not to call on anyone by name unless you have to. Be comfortable with the silence. Once you have asked a question, stop talking and slowly count to 10 in your head. The silence may feel like an eternity to you, but it feels just as long to the group. Eventually someone will answer! Remember, they have never heard the question before, so it may take a few seconds to formulate a response.
Watch for heads nodding, smiles and other indications that they agree with what is being said by others. Not everyone has to respond to every question for the entire group to learn. If you see reactions that suggest disagreement, ask, "Does anyone disagree?” or “what about an opposing view?” call on the one disagreeing only as a last resort.
Repeat or quickly summarize each response offered.
If anyone gives an off-the-wall response or one that is plain wrong, ask the group how they feel about it rather than correcting someone. This technique will keep it “safe” for all participants to continue answering questions without fear of a reprimand from you.
Even if the activity did not go quite well as planned, most participants probably learned something. No matter what happened, you can always ask if the group has ever seen anything like this happen back on the job. Ask what can be learned from this experience. The answers may include what can be improved for future team-building activities.
STEP 7.AFTER: reinforce the learning back on the job.
Display anything the team created for the activity back in the workplace.
If any new terms or special words came up during the activity, use them frequently.
Refer to the activity and the lessons learned often when you are coaching, giving feedback, or conducting staff meetings.
If the activity was a huge success, you may want to repeat it soon.
Plan follow-up activities that will re-inforce, emphasize, and build upon what was learned this time.
Watch for examples of how the participants learned what was learned in the activity and got better results.
Ask participants in your next staff meeting to share what impact the activity has had on them