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Build the Perfect Team
 As an interactive way to keep employees on board and improve their productivity, team-building exercises have jumped in popularity recently. In fact, a survey by Smith Travel Research, a corporate travel agency, indicates that 8.3 percent more corporate planners incorporated team-building exercises into their meetings during 2007 compared with 2006.
Keep it light, keep it fun
Before diving into a slew of activities and making this time away from the desk feel like work, remember to:
- Keep it casual. The best exercises are fun, engaging, easy to learn and simple enough to set up quickly.
- Stay small. Team building works best with smaller groups. Include no more than six people on a team to encourage them to jump in and work together.
- Select wisely. Choose exercises that foster respect, share responsibility and nourish communications while boosting the skills that matter most. Pick activities that promote several "right" answers to spark creativity. It also helps to set aside time to reflect on the exercises as a group after the day's events.
Fun in any location
Offsite exercises can allow team members to get to know each other and work together in a neutral environment. Why not:
- Generate team spirit with a corporate Olympics, ropes activities or other sporting events?
- Create open, explorative interaction with team field trips?
- Promote group learning in a fun environment with drama, arts or other cultural activities?
If you prefer something quicker or less-expensive, think about:
- Encouraging "outside-the-box" thinking with scrambled jigsaws, creative assembly and other puzzle games.
- Building strategic-planning skills with scavenger hunts and adventures.
- Creating your own activity that includes communication, goal-setting, planning, cooperation, creativity and task orientation.
By getting your group together, they'll see the other side of each team member — the side often reserved for time away from the office. The result? A better understanding of each other's work preferences, a boost in morale and better productivity. |
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