WHY Should You Plan Frequent Team Building Activities for Your Organization?
Corporate team building events are on the rise – more and more companies are realizing that you can’t just put random people in the same office and expect them to mesh on their own.
Team building is the act of designing and delivering purposeful play. Play that is designed to make a group of people solve problems. But they must solve the problems by communicating complex pieces of information in a simple and efficient way. When they do this they are rewarded with joy, pride, and a sense of accomplishment.
Successful team building reminds people that problems to solutions are found in communion with others. It instills a cohesive team spirit. Simply put: Successful team building builds teams.
WHAT Should You Do As An Organization To Successfully Organize A Team Building Program?
Well, it can be a complicated process, to organize team building programs and sometimes it’s best to hire a professional agency to help you with the overwhelming process. A team building event organizer has probably done this multiple times and is well-equipped with the knowledge of how such programs function. They are also ready with a plan B if plan A does not work out. Thus boarding a vendor partner for your team building program is not a bad decision.
HOW Can You Organize A Successful Team Building Program?
Here are some tips for you to successfully put together a seamless program:
Understand what the occasion is
Well your company could be celebrating 5 years together, or you could be hosting a rewards and recognition program, or celebrating a festivity together as a group, or going for an offsite together as a group, or maybe you do not need an occasion at all!
You could as well just be celebrating the employees on a regular day at work in your office. Well whatever the reason, it is important to just know that getting your employees together off their work for something different and unusual helps boost their morale and their efficiency at work. An article in Forbes from 2016, states, ‘The challenge is creating opportunities for people to connect and interact in meaningful ways, outside of regular meetings or presentations.’ And well, we couldn’t agree more!
Understand your timeline
Another important thing to keep in mind is to keep enough time to plan the program. The more time you have, the better prepared you are. We recommend sparing at least 4 weeks before your program date to get everything ready. Also, inform the employees ahead of time that there will be an exciting program lined up for them. We also recommend putting all of the preps on a spreadsheet so that it is easier to go back to, not just you but the entire team who is planning the program.
Create a budget
This could be tricky, but at the end of it, it will all be worth it! Determine a budget ahead of time that you want for the program. Remember to ask yourself this question ‘Why is value important for the individual?’ A positive company culture is built by creating an environment where the members of that environment feel trusted, important, and a part of the bigger picture. Always look at the big picture and the outcome that you would have at the end of it; employees feel positive about the culture at their organization!
Prepare an agenda for the day of
Apart from all the work that goes in before a program, planning the flow of events on the day of is equally critical. We recommend preparing a detailed agenda for the same. In most cases, the team building event organizer helps in creating this as well. Thus it is always a plus, to have a team building organizer on board to make it easier for you.
Helping hands are always a plus
You can always have a team put together as the organizing committee behind the program. Allocating work and responsibilities to every member makes the work a lot easier and quicker. After all, it is all about teamwork, isn’t it? Also, on a side note, after the program ends, you can always call out to the people who helped put the program together. A little bit of acknowledgment goes a long way!
Lay out your objectives very clearly
While onboarding any business team-building partner, always remember to communicate your objectives from the program rather clearly with them. Being a part of the management team-building events, we understand how critical a program is for a client, and once the set objectives are laid out clearly, we provide solutions that best fit the requirement. This also acts as a great filter to avoid the to and from that could happen on what must be done to make the program a success.
WHAT Are Some Activities That Result In Better Outcomes For A Team Building Program?
Well, there are multiple answers to this question, but we think identifying the audience and the nature of the program is really important.
The nature of the group
If you are a client planning an activity for a senior leadership team, you would want to do it indoors to avoid the heat. You would also like to consider activities where this group does not have to move around too much but still remain engaged for the entire course of the program. At TBGC, we offer a rather wide range of leadership team-building tools, but our most loved has been the AR VR enabled murder mystery- The Mavericks.
On the contrary, if you have an audience belonging to the Millennials or Gen Z, then they would like to have a program that challenges their physical-ness and stimulates their minds. Our activity, The Force, is a perfect blend of something new, something big, and something very unusual!
Type of program
It is important to understand the nature of the team-building program. We have managed to list down some of these and what kind of activities would best fit these programs.
Reward and recognition
If you are planning a reward and recognition program to showcase the gratitude the company holds for all of its employees, you should pick an activity that is going to be rather memorable for everyone. Our concept One Vision is a meaningful painting activity, where participants as teams get together to paint one BIG picture. The game highlights collaboration and also puts together a masterpiece that can later be framed and placed in the office.
You would also like to opt for our activity called Unveiling the BIG secret which entails participants as teams solving clues and puzzles to open giant boxes which have puzzle pieces, which when put together reveal the company values and what the organization stands for.
In office engagement
A lot of our clients love doing programs that can easily be executed in places inside an office. Maybe a cafeteria or smaller breakout rooms, or even at the work desks. Our collection of Modern Board Games is a perfect fit for an in-office engagement. They are different, new, and mind us when we say A LOTTT of fun! You must be ready to witness a whole lot of laughter and banter with this one. Complete chaos, if you may!
At times clients are also looking for options that require employees to get up from their workstations and do something challenging. Our in-office Geo Hunt Olympics is the go-to, in-office engagement activity, perfect to engage employees in a challenging yet fun fashion.
An offsite
We love of-sites, just as much as the employees do! There is something about it that brings just the right amount of energy needed for a successful team-building program. You must check out our over-the-top-energetic Geo Hunt Olympics, which is perfect for every offsite! It is a hunt intertwined with physical challenges bringing out the best of everybody!
Indoor conference
Well, these get a lot serious and we understand why! Be it a sales meet or an annual conference, these have speakers lined up and a lot of information sharing too. Our Saving the Boss activity is a perfect addition to any conference. We tell the participants how their boss went missing (even if it was from the very conference that they were a part of) and as teams, participants must do their best to rescue their leader. This activity sets the right mood for all employees to enjoy and savor the moment! It also helps them to keep up with the remainder of the agenda after the fun they had during the activity.
Learning workshop
Clients love workshops where there are key takeaways at the end of it. These usually come with a much-defined objective and agenda and we love to bring out the best through our learning workshops. Clients usually ask us for workshops that entail bringing in a sense of trust (Refer to; Magic Canvas), adapting to change (Refer to; Key Punch), negotiating better (Refer to; Gold Rush), or how to develop good leadership skills (Refer to; Interpersonal Chemistry). You name it, and we will plan the workshop for you. These are usually longer programs, ranging anywhere from 6 hours to over a couple of days. At the end of it, employees are up skilled and equipped with learning facilities that they can utilize to the fullest potential in their day-to-day lives.
CSR workshop
A lot of clients are always asking us for charity programs. There is something so special and beautiful about these programs. With TBGC CSR activities, we want people to think, feel, and do. Our goal is for participants to experience intense feelings and emotions they can take back to their work environment.
It’s important to identify specific issues at your workplace such as leadership development and morale enhancement so TBGC can design your program with these goals in mind. TBGC makes every action have a purpose to allow the participants to see how the entire program is connected and relevant to their everyday life. Check out our Wheel Care and Cycle of Charity programs as a part of our CSR activities.
Still Not Sure Where To Begin?
If you still have doubts about what a great team building program is all about, Get in touch with us today and we would be more than glad to help you.