Team-Building on Opening Day for Staffulty

 

Team-Building on Opening Day for Staffulty

Team-building can be tricky for a number of reasons. There certainly is an abundance of information out there on numerous media sites. A lot of information is free and relevant. Also, understand that a large number of activities can be cliché and overrated. When planning, one of the biggest components will be: “Know your audience.” During the Pandemic of 2020, we are discovering: “Know your delivery point.”

Everything you do will not appeal to your entire audience or every participant but you can gear your activities to appeal to most of the members. Know your goals for the meeting, day, month, and year. What are you trying to accomplish? For the most part, it’s probably trust, collegiality, and fun.

Periodically, plan an offsite destination for team-building to solidify a bonding experience. When they are at your main campus, hundreds of distractions can and will occur, and your team may remain guarded. However, have a backup plan. Accumulate research about what worked during certain situations and fine-tune the process.

Accentuate new beginnings with team-building. For instance, start your new year or new project with a field trip. Create a Renaissance (get it?). Announce a new theme and service-learning platform then dig right in. If you go to an offsite location, have a scavenger hunt or go to a place of service. Food is always good, and you don’t need a hefty budget.

One year, we had inclement weather so we had to do everything onsite but we kept it moving. The guest speaker we scheduled couldn’t make it either. Be prepared. We Skyped in someone we knew from another district. We asked her to tie our theme together and get us Fired Up! She did just that!

This is an example of an onsite retreat: First, we introduced our new theme “School Rocks!” Then we video conferenced in our guest speaker to announce our service learning: renewable energy. We proceeded with a short meeting to do some housekeeping and raise our level of awareness.  This particular year, we created a stimulating video to jumpstart our day, Welcome Forward. We included as many recent pictures of our building and people that we could find. We promoted our goals then tied it to the Olympics that just ended. It was easy to find encouragement in some of the Olympic pictures and connect the visuals to hard work, commitment, and “whatever it takes.”

This may sound cheesy in some arenas, but the video ended with me running in the school with an American flag hoisted. The music was cranked to Chariots of Fire. Our steering committee was going through the crowd and high fiving everyone. During the Pandemic you can air five people.

Later in the day, people were ready to eat. Replenish their bodies as well as spirits. Be sensitive to any allergies or beliefs. We had barbeque and people brought in covered dishes. We let people know in advance what we were making. It was nice to communicate on a level that didn’t involve mostly work-related jargon. The room should be filled with laughter and merriment.

For another team-building activity, we divided our large group into different “rock groups.” Each participant got a “backstage pass” with a number on the back; the number designated their group.  The groups got together for a team photo complete with Rock Star props.

Now we had teams for our competition/team-building. We used a big dry erase board in the front of the room for a visual and to keep score. The first task was to name your “rock group.” It was hilarious and interesting as each group sent a representative on stage to announce the names.

The next task was to brainstorm ideas for our service project. The teams wrote the ideas on big paper and taped it to the wall. We put a time limit on this to keep it moving. After time was called, each group read their ideas.

We then moved to the gymnasium. We had music set up to greet everyone. First up was the “Rock Star Relay.” Each group (band) competed against each other dressing up, running (or walking fast) to midcourt then tagging the next person to do the same. There were many photo opportunities during this one.

We finished the competition with “Name That Tune.” We had several categories. Each team had a representative. The facilitator played a tune until someone guessed it.

We went back to the auditorium and tallied the points. Our closing ceremony was complete with a medal themed ceremony and the national anthem. We debriefed and tied everything together. It’s funny how some people remembered working in a place that wasn’t fun. Granted, I can guarantee you that some people were not as enthusiastic as I was, but for the most part, everyone felt appreciated, connected, and inspired!

There are many approaches you can take to meetings and gatherings. Some approaches need to be direct and the information may not be fun material. However, we were driven to create a place where everyone wanted to be. Flexibility played a big part in the day but we were prepared. It worked. Any activities that you use should be molded to your situation and organization. Some activities you do become traditions. You must fine-tune them every year.