One simple exercise To improve communication with your Team

There? they were a Team of Managers and Supervisors at the Petroleum Company that hired me? to train them for three days.? It was on our second day of training that these men found themselves sprawled on the floor, talking to each other, working with each other using the most unlikely of items to engage in a simple exercise that would improve their communication with their Team in the most unexpected ways.

This simple exercise went so? well? that it was the main point of discussion on both day two and part of day three of the training.??

Day two of the training was Team building and I knew I needed something that would get these men out of their comfort zone.?

So after some research I found it.? It had everything I needed to drive home the importance of working as a team, communicating effectively and the need for collaboration within their Teams.?

The Team Building exercise was, drum roll please The Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower. ? Oh doesn’t that just peak your interest?? Well it did for these men on day two of the? training.? The tools included:

• 20 Spaghetti Sticks
• One Marshmallow
• 1 Yard string
• Masking Tape

The key was for each Team to build the Spaghetti Tower in 15 minutes with the marshmallow at the top and the tower had to stand for five seconds after the time was up.?

From start to finish there was a race to the clock.?

• On Team one Someone threw out an idea and the team just went with it.
• On Team Two Everyone had an idea of how the tower should be built so this team kept changing the structure of the Tower.
• Team one kept asking “What’s the string for?”
• Team two use the string to tie the Tower to a chair to hold it up.
• Both Teams built the Tower first then tried to put the marshmallow on Top after.

Here are the lessons learn from each team their words:

• Team one - “We should not have gone with the first idea, others should have given their ideas as well” ? We treated the first idea as the best idea.
• Team Two - Changing the structure was not a bad idea but we never stick with one structure long enough to see if it worked
• Team One - Every tool provided to us was to be use and we should have thought about how to use the string
• Team Two - No Tower in history stood the test of time being brace to something else.? Bracing to chair was a bad idea

Ok here’s what’s important about building the Marshmallow Spaghetti tower or rather trying to build it, this exercise? GOT THE TEAMS COMMUNICATING and although they lost the Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower challenge they gained the lessons in communication.? That included:

• All Team members have a contribution to make
• When you fail, learn from it before you move on
• The First idea is not always the best idea
• There is always more the one way to accomplish a goal
• Talking through ideas is just as important as doing what needs to be done.
• Communication must be constant not just at the beginning of a project

If you find yourself challenged in communicating with your Team,? my communication training can bring to light any blind spots and off course we take through the Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower exercise.??

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