How to have a great team building activity? Some movements and some stories.

The year 2023 is almost over. This is the time when most team across all corporates looks at team event to end the year and start the new year of 2024 on a positive note. Doesn't matter if you plan to have this event in the last quarter of 2023 or beginning of 2024, team events are extremely crucial for the success, camaraderie and trust within a team.

Do you know how team building activities changed the course of Starbucks?

In the book "Onward- How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul" Howard Schultz emphasizes the importance of rebuilding trust and fostering a sense of unity within the Starbucks team. One of the ways he approached this was through team-building activities. Schultz believed that strengthening interpersonal connections and improving communication among team members were crucial for the company's success.

In the fast-paced world of corporate life, the importance of team events cannot be overstated. Team events provide a valuable break from the everyday grind and offer employees an opportunity to bond, learn, and rejuvenate. These gatherings are more than just social interactions; they serve as catalysts for fostering a sense of togetherness, creativity, and collaboration. In this blog, we'll explore why team events are crucial in the corporate world and delve into activities that can make such events truly memorable and effective.

What are the key elements to a successful and memorable team event-

1. The Zero Moment: Embracing Focus

Our lives are often overwhelmed by stress and worries, but team events can act as a reset button for our minds. This is the "zero moment" where participants can blank their minds from daily concerns and fully engage in the present. When you're focused on one activity at a time, you become more effective at that moment. It's a skill that can be carried back to the workplace, helping employees improve their concentration and efficiency.

The most common activity that I have done that has given the team this zero moment, is workshops on public speaking. Public speaking is scary for some but fun for others. But learning public speaking by sharing stories, vulnerable emotions and personal insights, is a wonderful way of knowing a team, their feeling and emotions.

2. Sensory Activation: A Break for the Senses

In today's corporate world, many jobs involve a high degree of verbal communication and meetings. Team events can offer a welcome break by engaging other senses. For instance, if your work primarily involves talking and meetings, consider activities that involve touch, taste, or smell. This might include painting, where you can experience the tactile sensation of paint brush strokes and immerse yourself in the world of colors. Alternatively, cooking allows you to engage your taste, touch, and smell senses. If your job centers around food tasting, introduce activities related to sound, like music or sports, to refresh the senses.

3. Stimulate the Inner Child: Unleash Enthusiasm

The corporate world often demands professionalism and seriousness. However, nurturing the inner child within us can lead to renewed enthusiasm, creativity, and a willingness to explore new ideas. Team events should encourage everyone to let go and embrace their childlike qualities. Playfulness can infuse energy into your daily work, making you more receptive to innovation and unearthing fresh perspectives.

4. Doing Something Together: Unity Beyond Competition

Team events don't always have to revolve around competition. They can be opportunities for individuals to come together and achieve a common goal, whether it's a community service project or a collaborative task. The sense of fulfillment and camaraderie that arises from working collectively can translate into improved teamwork within the corporate setting. It's not just about winning; it's about achieving something as a team.

Let's hear it from Reina-Flor Okori Makendengue OLY - She is an 4 times Olympian and she is in her journey to help corporate embrace the top athlete mindset to be able to achieve success and team bonding.

"For athletes, reaching a different state of mind is common practice, whether individually or collectively. This exercise is particularly intriguing for executives and teams looking to implement techniques such as hypnotherapy or visualization. Visualization is an exercise that can be performed with the team to illustrate how the mind struggles to differentiate between fiction and reality. It showcases how we can employ visualization to mentally rehearse important meetings, pitches, or presentations, akin to how athletes visualize their performances. Visualization exercises can significantly boost your confidence and prepare you for success.

Another exercise that I recommend trying with your team is mastering the art of entering flow states using the "alpha brain" method when counting down from three. This exercise helps you learn to shift your mindset from a state of relaxation to a state of peak performance. Flow states are invaluable for situations like entering a presentation room or pitching ideas. They immerse you in the emotions necessary for peak performance, enhancing both productivity and creativity.

These techniques are like routines that can be learned and incorporated into your daily life, supporting your journey towards maintaining both mental and physical well-being. " Reina-Flor Okori

5. A Shift in Mindset: Exploring New Perspectives

One of the most remarkable aspects of team events is the ability to transport participants into a different world temporarily. Encourage your team to explore professions or activities they wouldn't engage in otherwise. For example, adopting the mindset of a top athlete can be a valuable experience, even for those who aren't involved in sports. Learning what it takes to excel in a different field can lead to a profound shift in perspective, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of diverse skill sets.

Reina-Flor Okori Makendengue OLY and I are working on combining our ideas and experiences and create unique experiences for corporates for their team events where there will be movement, activities but also stories and emotions.