How to make your next company team building activity the best it can be!
We know how tricky it can be when you’ve been “tasked” to organise a team building event for your company. With often such a variety of characters, personalities, preferences and tastes, we know it can be a challenge.
We’ve created our top recommendations for things to consider when you’re planning your next company team building event.
Team taking part in The Killing Crime Scene Team Building Activity.
Make sure you know your team or company that you’re planning the event for
Understand Your Team: Consider the interests, hobbies, and personalities of your team members when selecting an activity. Choose something that resonates with the diverse tastes and preferences within your group. If you know you work with a particularly introverted group, don’t plan something that is going to push them too far, or make them feel uncomfortable. Equally if you have a group with big personalities, keen to “put themselves out there”, choose something that will ignite their fires and harness that!
Be Inclusive: Opt for activities that accommodate different physical abilities as well as their comfort levels, you want to ensure that absolutely everyone can participate and feel included.
What are you trying to achieve with your team building event?
Identify Goals: Clarify the objectives you aim to achieve through the team building activity, whether it’s improving communication, fostering collaboration, or boosting morale. Team bonding is also very much a goal in itself, we often hear companies want to get together to strength the relationships between colleagues or teams. We also often hear “we don’t know”, or “I’ve just been told I need to organise one”.
Team building can be different to different people. For example bowling and crazy golf.. great for team bonding, but other than a social “jolly” it wouldn’t achieve much more than that. Whereas an activity that includes elements of problem solving and team work (such as super popular crime team building activities), will strength communication and collaboration. We find it helps to try pinpoint what you’re hoping the outcome to be.
Tailor to the Chosen Goals: Select an activity that aligns with your objectives, provide opportunities for real and meaningful interactions, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to develop skills relevant to your team’s needs.
Really consider the logistics for everyone involved
Duration & Schedule: Assess the time constraints of your event and choose an activity that fits within the allotted timeframe, for example if you know you only have 5 hours in the day, make sure you don’t plan something that needs a huge amount of set up and no time or opportunities for breaks or company updates. Consider factors such as setup time, duration of the activity, and any additional logistics. It’s also important to consider your guests needs if you’re planning events longer than the standard company day, or if they are required to travel a distance.
Overnight events with lovely dinners sound wonderful, but often people have external commitments to work. We recommend consulting guests on what would suit them, and being flexible if needs be. We had a client whose small team all had dogs, so booked accommodate the knew was particularly doggy friendly – this really made the team feel valued and thought of!
Location & Space Requirements: It’s often easier to choose the activity, and then select a venue. The venue requirements will vary depending on the chosen activity, ensuring it can accommodate the size of your team and any specific equipment or setup needs. People often forget activity teams will need set up time, in spaces clear of guests! Consider secondary activity rooms, or lunch in other places to ensure you allow for this (and pack down time too!)
Keep it engaging, you’re allowed to have fun
Promote Engagement: Opt for activities that encourage active participation and engagement among team members! Try to ensure you choose an activity that will be inclusive for everyone, and make sure if there are those who will try and take a step back, that they are encouraged to actively participate.
Fun: Just because you have strong, underlying and important goals for the event, it doesn’t mean you can’t infuse elements of fun into the activity to create a positive and energising atmosphere, promoting bonding and relationship building.
Don’t just wing it, work with professionals
We know there are “DIY” options for team activities, but these can often be stressful and time consuming for the people trying to run them, or fall flat (thus being the opposite of the objectives you’re trying to achieve). Strong energy, and the expertise to keep teams engaged is really important at company events, we’d always recommend working with professionals.
After the event has finished, consider how you can build upon the experience! Plan follow-up discussions or activities to reinforce key learnings and maintain momentum on the amazing work that has been done.
How to make your next company team building activity the best it can be!
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