A well-planned corporate team building event has the potential to transform a department and to reveal new ways to solve problems as a team. A poorly organized event could become a frustrating and pointless endeavor that results in low morale and issues with trust. The most important thing to do when organizing a team building day is to plan everything in advance down to the smallest detail. This will help to prevent unforeseen issues on the day of the event. There are also some other things to keep in mind that will help to make a team building day successful and memorable.
Choose An Appropriate Location
It is normally best to have a team building day in an off-site location. This location should be appropriate for the event and the character of the company. The site that is chosen should not be overly loud or distracting. It should also not be an empty room in the basement of an office building. A good location will be memorable and will have enough space to allow for all of the activities that will take place during the day. The venue should be easy for employees to reach. Renting a bus or van for transportation could also be helpful.
Avoid Overly Physical Activities
There are a number of team building activities to choose from when planning the day. It is important to avoid activities that require too much physical effort. There might be people who have physical problems that will not be able to participate in the game. Highly physical games tend to distract participants from the idea of team building. This is sometimes because of an increased focus on individual strength, dexterity or other issues that take away from the idea of teamwork.
Make Activities Fun And Relatable
The games or team building activities that are chosen should have some connection to the work that is normally done. This does not mean directly relating a game to work. It does mean ensuring that the type of problems and solutions that are presented follow a similar pattern to what needs to be done in the office. There should also be some unexpected and fun aspects to the challenges. This will keep people thinking and will spark creativity in the participants. It is also a good idea to transition naturally from one activity to the next so that the entire day has a feeling of consistency.
Participation
Every effort should be made to include everyone actively in the challenges. This can be done through seating arrangements and by progressively seeking input or feedback from people who do not seem to be contributing. The success of the entire day relies on everyone taking part in all of the challenges together.
Budget For Food
It is best to have some type of food available for lunch or as snacks throughout the day. The challenges will inevitably make people hungry. Forcing employees to travel away from the location in order to buy food for lunch will break the cooperative atmosphere that has been developed. Providing a lunch for employees will also give everyone a chance to absorb the lessons that have been learned and to relax before finishing the event.
This post was provided by Jake Saverin, an organizational behaviour specialist. He recommends a fun activity for corporate team building Cambridge, such as a day at ibowl.ca Family Fun Centre.