Looking for an interesting outside adventure to do with your team? Try this Scavenger Hunt designed by Kathleen Kerr, the Director of Organizational Development & Training with MEMIC (Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company). This will be ideal if your team is meeting for several days and you want to re-energize them outside. It will also be a great standalone activity …
On one of my first official team building gigs, I almost blew it. I designed an agenda to address the leaders needs but chose NOT to share it with the leader ahead of time. For some reason, I wanted the leader to experience the process fresh with the team. At the time, it seemed like a great idea. When the …
In what areas is your team excelling or struggling? This age-old question is constantly in the minds of leaders as well as team consultants who support them. Because the dynamics of a team are complex, it is useful to have a simple framework to evaluate the team. Without a framework, we might miss an important element or focus too much …
Sports teams have had mascots for a long time. A mascot in baseball was used as early as 1880 and intended to be a lucky charm for the team. Mascots are highly valued and often represent qualities a team aspires to develop. For more interesting facts and tips about mascots, check out this article. Creating a mascot for your business …
What I Wish I’d Known Are you thinking about hanging up your corporate hat and going out on your own? I’m often asked for advice from people who want to start their own private practice as a team consultant, facilitator or coach. So, I’m sharing with you my thoughts about what you’ll need in order to be successful as an …
Most teams want to feel connected with their colleagues. One way to build relationships is to facilitate a short icebreaker at the beginning of team meetings or even in the middle of a longer meeting. All you need is an interesting (and safe) question to learn new things about each other. Questions can be thought-provoking, reflective, creative, or funny. Choose …
Planting seeds is an excellent metaphor for many team activities. Seeds can represent opportunities, growth, change, and development. Rather than just talk about the metaphor, why not let your team experience planting real seeds. You will provide them with a sensory experience that will create a strong memory and reinforce the key theme you want to impart. As a bonus, …
Looking for a fun way to connect with your team this summer? Ice cream can be a delicious way to reward your team and create a fun memory together. You can keep it simple and just provide ice cream during a meeting or try one of the ice cream activities below. National Ice Cream Day is a Real Thing Did …
One of the most common complaints I hear from busy professionals is “I don’t have enough time.” I’m guilty of this too. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a stage trying to keep 10 spinning plates from falling – and I’m barely making it. It’s easy to find others who will commiserate with me, because most people I know describe …
GUEST BLOGGER: Dann Bleeker Pedersen Try these easy-to-make flip chart to keep your team focused while brightening up your meeting room! Pick and choose from the charts below based on your meeting purpose and agenda. Purpose Any meeting should start with a short presentation of the purpose of the meeting. For shorter meetings, a visual representation is not needed. For …
