How to run your own team-building event

A team-building event is the perfect way to improve the dynamic of the group and help to bring out the best in your employees. Team building encourages better communications, combats conflict and establishes the important trust that allows a team to collaborate cohesively.

If you want to take your team building into your own hands without relying on an external facilitator, why not do it yourself? This can increase your employees’ trust in you and establish yourself as a more effective leader. The following tips will help you find success when it comes to getting the outcomes you’re looking for:

Clearly establish your goals and budget

As with many things in business, your efforts with planning team-build event should start with a clear picture of what you want to accomplish and how much it will cost, according to Eventsforce. Whatever your goal may be — improving communication, collaboration skills, or morale — the exact parameters should be clearly defined so that you’ll know exactly what you want to get out of it.

Find the right setting and style for any team-building event.

Choose the right people — and then choose the right time

Perhaps only a few members of a team need this kind of exercise, or maybe your entire organisation does. You should certainly establish who you want to include, then look at all their schedules (and perhaps talk to them) to determine a time during normal business hours when a team-building event will be least disruptive to people’s other duties.

Figure out an ideal setting

Some team-building exercises are highly effective in the office setting, and others may require you to go outside your normal confines for a little extra space and a change of scenery. Based on the number of attendees and your goals, you may need to do more to understand which setting will work best.

Know what you will focus on

Once you know the basic parameters of what you hope to accomplish, who will attend and where the event will be held, the obvious next step is to figure out how best to achieve your training goals. TeamBonding recommended that you consider all the things that make the attendees tick as individuals and figure out ways to leverage their preferences to get out of their comfort zone — without making them genuinely uncomfortable. Your goal should be to make everyone feel included and simultaneously meet their needs, bolstering overall team dynamics.

Prepare to receive feedback

Of course, team-building efforts should be an ongoing effort for your organisation and to make sure you always get the most out of it, you should seek some input from attendees after each session, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses. When you do, your next session will be that much more effective, creating a culture of engagement and continual growth.

To get an even better handle on your DIY Team Building efforts, turn to the experts at ICML. We can tailor this in-house training workshop to your exact organisational needs, so you and other managers will have plenty of ideas that help fuel your next great team-building event. Get in touch today to learn more.