You have been assigned to organize a team building activity for your team. But you’re unsure of what activity to sign your team up for - cooking, outdoor games, artisanal activities… the list goes on. Fret not, because we’re here to help you! Here are the steps to help you decide on an activity for your team.
Understanding your team
The first step to choosing a team building activity is to understand your team. Are they unfamiliar with one another? Do they not work as well as you expect them to? Or maybe it’s been a while and it seems the fire in their eyes have disappeared. Only when you know what your team is lacking can you then find an activity that helps them. There are many ways to get to know the culture of your team, but the best trick will always be to observe.
Setting a Budget
How much are you willing to pay for the team? Having a budget helps narrow down the options available - even though there’s still plenty. Do you want to bring your team out, or maybe getting an external vendor into office would suffice? Well, a budget helps decide that. And if you only plan on a small scale activity, you know to check those high intensity activities (and sometimes more pricey ones) off the list.
Knowing your options
There are so many team building activities available, it ranges across a wide spectrum from an active game of paintball to just sitting in a circle answering questions about one another. The cost of the activities is not necessarily the answer to how good they will be for your team. If you have a less active team, it might not be a bright idea to get them to participate in physical activities like high elements courses. A team building day is supposed to get your team psyched up, not sigh in despair and think of ways to get out of work on that day.
Analysing the activity
There are many different activities, each that can target and help solve a particular problem in your team. There are some that can help boost communication and build trust within the team, and some that helps with the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills. It helps when you analyse what the activity can help your team with - and decide whether it is what your team needs.
Pass it on to the team
By now you should have just a very short list of options left. If you still have trouble deciding, maybe it’s a good idea to get a consensus from the team. And if you’ve followed through with the steps above, the activities narrowed down should still fulfil the goals you’ve intended for the team - regardless of what it is. Now your team gets a choice and appreciates you for hearing their voices, and you don’t have to stress over choosing the perfect team building activity!
• • •
Not sure where to find activities? Look no further! Here at Culturally, we make the complex end-to-end process of organising an activity fuss-free for you!