Set Clear Goals
You need to know what you want to achieve as a company by running a team building event. So, establish a clear focus and then set some goals. Make the goals realistic so they are a challenge but not so difficult that they are unachievable and result in failure as that would be counter-productive. Once your goals are established, it’s time to plan challenges and activities that are a good fit. You may appreciate the assistance of one of the Geronigo® corporate event planners at this stage, which is a free of charge service for corporate clients.
Choose the right activities and challenges.
With your goals in mind, look at the activities available to meet those objectives. Are you trying to build teamwork, develop leadership qualities or are you targeting problem-solving abilities? Many companies just dive headlong into a team building exercise and forget that the skills learned could be irrelevant to the participants in the workplace. For example, if you have a culture of rewarding individual success, building teams at your event would be less important than encouraging individual achievements.
Indoor or outdoor activities?
If your employees spend most of their time in an office, then the prospect of outdoor activities adds excitement to the mix. You are more likely to get a higher level of sign-up and commitment from participants if an activity is away from the office and outside. Having said that, if weather is an issue then make sure the indoor activities are equally challenging and good fun. Escape games are a good example of an ideal corporate activity. Great fun and the challenges set are excellent for building core corporate skills.
Get out of comfort zones
All employees get into their way of doing things and so organising an activity that takes them outside of their comfort zones and into challenging and exciting environments is good for their personal development as people and as your employees. This is particularly relevant if you want your people to be innovative and think outside the box. It can feel a little threatening to some people who are set in their ways, but providing you allow for that, everyone benefits. Outside activities for a cross-range of participants with varying degrees of fitness would be something like clay pigeon shooting, archery, or perhaps a more unusual activity like axe throwing. If the budget allows, perhaps consider driving prestige cars, helicopter rides, speedboat experiences or hot air ballooning could be options to consider.
Make it exciting
A day full of team exercises in a hotel can get a little tedious so we would recommend ‘breaking out’ and adding at least one outside activity to freshen minds and add a little excitement and variation to what can turn into a dry, rather boring team building day. We understand that the powers that be in any organisation want activities that justify the cost and that address participants strengths and weaknesses, but people learn and develop when an event is memorable and they had fun. If your group is fit and up for more fun, then give them fun as well as the serious stuff and they will remember the important lessons that you have tried to deliver. We would recommend team tests and challenges in the morning and then something like high ropes, paintball, go karting or maybe a crazy activity like bubble football that takes stamina and teamwork for the afternoon. When they reassemble for the evening meal, you’ll be amazed about just how buoyed up and animated they are.
Avoid getting bogged down with the details
There really is no need to flog through the Internet to find suitable activities for your corporate team building event because Geronigo®, with the largest activity network in the UK and Ireland and a comprehensive list of conference venues and restaurants, have done the job for you. First lesson, why make unnecessary work for yourself when it is already done for you? You’ll save time and money going through Geronigo® and you’ll be allocated your own dedicated event co-ordinator free of charge to assist the process. Ring now!
Don’t forget the feedback
You’ve organised an excellent event and it has gone exceptionally well, so now you need to build on the lessons learned. To get feedback on the cerebral activities you should hand out feedback forms at the end of the sessions. Make sure you ask key questions, so you can evaluate what worked and what didn’t. As far as the activities are concerned, the feedback will probably be spontaneous at the after-event dinner, at the coffee machine at work with new found friends and in the enthusiasm for working for your company; a company that cared enough to provide such a great event.
By CJ