If you’re running your own business, you’ve probably heard a lot about team building. This is mostly due to so many Australian companies starting to organize their team building events lately. Such events serve to encourage cooperation, improve overall employee performance and increase leadership skills. However, when not properly crafted, a team building event can also do nothing.
So, if you want to organize a team-building event, you have to make sure you plan it as carefully as possible. And here’s how to do it.
– Make it fun…
Your employees may not always share your excitement about team building events and that’s why you need to make sure that whatever you decide to do, you make it fun. That way, you should be able to get everyone engaged in the activity. Of course, there will always be diverse views but when the majority of your employees is having fun, your team building is going to be a success. And just bear in mind that an expensive event doesn’t always mean your team will have fun. Sticking to something you know is going to work is always a good idea.
– Lay down the ground rules…
When planning a team building event, it’s also very important that you lay down the ground rules you’re going to stick to throughout the whole thing. This means you need to decide whether you’re going to stick to verbal positive comments or you’re going to reward the employees who perform the best. Moreover, you need to think about personal differences between your employees and come up with something that fosters a safe environment both physically and emotionally. If there are any deeper messages to be explored in the event, make sure you don’t reveal them until the end of the day.
– Use photos and video…
If you want to get everyone involved, you have to do more than just come up with an interesting activity and watch your team members engage in it. Instead of just standing aside, you can take your camera and take pictures or even record the whole event. That way, you’ll have something to post on your company’s website and social media pages. Do this and you’ll see your employees try harder to perform in the activity you’ve gone for. Moreover, it’s a nice opportunity to show your customers that your company is much more than just products/services you offer.
– Choose the right activity…
We’ve already said that whatever you decide to do on your team building event needs to be fun, but it’s also critical that you go for something that has the potential to increase your employees’ teamwork and leadership skills. Luckily, with team-building gaining so much attention in countries like Australia, it seems like there are more and more team-building opportunities out there. Golf, Paintball and Bubble Soccer have proven to be quite popular options among Australian companies. If you opt for golf, visiting Long Reef Golf Club is something you just can’t go wrong with.
– Start with an icebreaker…
Sometimes, getting all of your employees involved right from the start isn’t going to be easy. That’s why you need to make sure you start with an icebreaker that will “warm-up” your employees and gets them ready to take part in the activity. One of the best ways to do this is to show pictures of your previous team building events. That way your team members will get into their competitive mode and feel more relaxed during the activity. If you believe your employees aren’t trying hard enough, you can always participate as well and try to motivate them.
With these 5 tips, planning a successful team building event shouldn’t be too difficult. Just make sure you identify activities that do the trick for your team and stick to them as much as possible.
