If team-building conjures up images of raft building or orienteering in the middle of a windswept field, think again. Charlie Berry looks at the alternatives.
A recent survey carried out by Vodafone UK and YouGov suggests workers feel that some old-fashioned team-building exercises can be a waste of time, and are toe-curlingly embarrassing. The research among 1,000 British employees uncovered excruciating examples of awkward and silly team-building activities, including eating crickets as part of a Bush Tucker Trial-style event.
If you are looking to organise a team-building activity for staff in your company, it is essential you consider a number of key points to avoid booking an event that will be talked about for all the wrong reasons.
Know your audience
Think about who is going to be attending your team development day, and make sure the activity you choose is right for everyone involved. At some events for instance the PA may be extremely happy about the chocolate-making workshop, only for the rest of the group (the majority being male senior management) to not be quite so keen.
Think outside the box
When looking at organising a team-building day, try and think differently to what has been done before. Team-building is no longer about making rafts and falling back into your colleaguesโ arms, hoping they will catch you. The blindfolds have been replaced with iPads, and the rafts with graffiti workshops.
Competitive, creative or collaborative?
The entire spectrum of team-building activities falls into one of these genres and, depending on the targeted learning outcomes for the team event, consideration should be given to exactly which genre is best suited to the delegates who are attending.
If the purpose of the day is purely to have fun and reward, a competitive team-building activity is often best as it allows staff to relax and compete on a level platform that is very different from the usual office environment. It also dissolves any hierarchy within the workforce for a few hours. A competitive team-building activity is ideal for forging relationships and networking within a relaxed environment.
Creative team-building activities are best suited to away days in which the messages of brand and loyalty are key. Creative workshops that are provided at the highest standard produce tangible results too: the artwork that is created makes the most impressive focal point in any reception or meeting room โ and is a poignant reminder of the key messages long after the event.
Collaborative activities are best chosen if the targeted outcome for the day is for the group to achieve a shared goal together. This might involve anything from filming a TV commercial for your company using iPads to giving a little back to society in a CSR-based community project or fundraiser.
Budget
Plan the event and the allocation of your budget before you start calling venues or event companies; it pays to have an idea of what your budget allows before you start the ball rolling. If the budget is especially low, donโt panic as there are team-building activities that donโt require a venue. Instead they start and finish in the office and have teams out on foot, completing a number of tasks.
When and where?
Choosing the right venue for your next team-building event is important if you want to guarantee its success. Trawling the internet can be time-consuming, so let the experts do it for you. Many specialist companies will offer a free venue-finding service that can secure preferential rates, so make sure you take advantage of this to lighten the burden.
Charlie Berry is Director of Zing Events.
