Do it When you motivate your team or during team building. Nobody likes rules.
That’s because rules are limitations that someone else is putting on us.
That is so demotivating. But rules are necessary for doing business.
Without them we would be in anarchy. So lets turn it around.
Ask them to write down 10 rules that are so important for them on the job.
Then one by one has to say his 10 rules and someone is writing on the flip chart. Obviously, some of the rules are gonna be said several times. Just count it like votes.
At the end you will have 10 rules or you can narrow to 5 rules that are confirmed by all of them. Those rules are your company values and can be easily transferred into company mission.
Now coaching questions for you?
Imagine that you have to make your life according to 3 rules.
1. What would you choose?
2. What sort of person would you be if you obey those 3 rules?
3. Who else would benefit then?
4. Why is this important to you?
5. What will be your next steps?
Write down on comments or if it is more … Read more
Idea #17 Learn from the Zig & geese
Do it During team building. Great Zig Ziglar had funny story about gees.
He would ask participants 3 questions and encourage them for answers.
- Why are geese flying in “V” formation? And most of the people are familiar that using that trick geese save 70% of the energy.
- Why from time to time geese change formation for several seconds? Again, there is in every group someone that will explain that leading goose is accepting the majority of the air pressure and for a while another goose will take its position
- Why is one leg of the formation always longer than other? Looks like everyone has noticed that but no one has logical explanation. Then Zig would say: “Because in that “leg” are more geese!“
This will make people laugh, more connected and prepared for main topic. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q40h8dPmgwQ&feature=related[/youtube]
There much more we can learn from the geese.
1. Geese flying at the end of formation are honking for supporting ones at front.
2. When a goose drops out of formation due to sickness or tiredness, two other geese join her and protect until it is ready again.
Now, you can make a discussion:
Imagine our team being more efficient… Read more
Idea #15 Practicing active listening by Counting
Do it When you want to practice active listening or during team building.
I am sure you have seen the movie Midnight Cowboy. John Voight as Joe Buck and Dustin Huffman as Ratso have given outstanding performances.
In that movie Harry Nilsson sings: “Everybody Is Talking At Me. I don’t hear a word they’re saying, Only the echoes of my mind…” Obviously when everybody is talking, no one can hear anything. Somehow we have to practice that active listening.
Talking only when no one else is talking. Here is the most useful game for it.
I have hear it from Master ZI.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fwY3jGNsog&feature=related[/youtube]
Here are the rules for this game.
You start by saying “One”, someone has to continue with “Two”. Other person will say “Three” and so on, until the last person will say the last number. Every person has to be included.
It looks so easy, but we will make it very difficult.
First, it has to be perfect silence, so only numbers can be heard. People are not allowed to communicate verbally or non verbally. It is not allowed to make predictable sequence of who is gonna be next. And finally if two
… Read more In that movie Harry Nilsson sings: “Everybody Is Talking At Me. I don’t hear a word they’re saying, Only the echoes of my mind…” Obviously when everybody is talking, no one can hear anything. Somehow we have to practice that active listening.
Talking only when no one else is talking. Here is the most useful game for it.
I have hear it from Master ZI.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fwY3jGNsog&feature=related[/youtube]
Here are the rules for this game.
You start by saying “One”, someone has to continue with “Two”. Other person will say “Three” and so on, until the last person will say the last number. Every person has to be included.
It looks so easy, but we will make it very difficult.
First, it has to be perfect silence, so only numbers can be heard. People are not allowed to communicate verbally or non verbally. It is not allowed to make predictable sequence of who is gonna be next. And finally if two
Idea #12 Hello Susan, my name is Steve. I am glad that you are here!
Do it When you have a group of people size up to 20, whom don’t know each other, and you know you have to do something interesting.
People have tendency to talk only to people that they have been introduced. If they don’t know anybody they will talk on the phone or just stare at handouts.
So you have to introduce them quickly.
You need very nice Greeting cards. My suggestion is to take greeting cards with motivational quotes and/or pictures. Before the training in each of them write name of one participant. Then at the beginning of training randomly give them cards. Instantly they will recognize that they have someone else’s card.
Tell them to find the right person and in one nice sentence give the card. It will take just several minutes, and after that you will have totally relaxed group of people.
Now questions for you:
1. What is a good sentence for presenting card?
2. What can you give instead greeting card?
3. What would you do if the person likes the card and doesn’t want to give it to the right owner?
Idea #9 Your Company Island is waiting Sir…
Do it When you want to think about recycling and during team building.
Maybe you have heard of Richie Sowa, a man who built his own floating island. Important thing is that island is made from old plastic bottles. Making something useful Richie has recycled something that was planned to be trash.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvn9l1pJ3-A[/youtube]
Now, inspired with movie let’s see how we can make the similar. Your company for sure deserves an island. If you have no lake (or license) to build it, you can make an island at your backyard. It doesn’t have to be by 250,000 bottles, but use as many as possible. Make a small island, just for your team. You are not allowed to buy anything in the store for making it. Just collect things that you normally throw away. When you finish your company island make discussion.
What have you learned during this event?
What was important for each of us during this event?
What else might be a good idea for growing your island?
Come aboard on your island, have fun 🙂 and make a picture.
Idea #7 What are the Colors of your Team?
Do it When you want to connect your people during team building.
Usually people immediately recognise what is different between them. Someone said: “If there is 99% equality and 1% difference people will put there focus ion that 1 %”. Now in your team you are going to make the right way. All people in team will bond together.
First you will give a colored pencil to each member of your team. Now they have to pair up with someone whose pencil is similar color to their own. In pairs they will discuss for 3 minutes what are there personal similarities. Now they will find someone with pencil with very different color. For 3 minutes they will in pairs discuss what are differences among them. At the end your team will join chairs in circle. Making rainbow of colors, and each one will say
what he has discovered from the person that they have in common,
and what from person that are different?
How our team will benefit from our similarities and
how from differences?
You can put your comments on flip chart, picture it and make poster.
Please, sent it to us 🙂
Idea #6 Hey, is this your company Snowman?
Do it When you want to connect your people, talk about strategy, values and image, during team building.
Making snowman is very educational game. People have been making things in their images, and then materialising that for a long time.
If you see children playing in the Winter, usually they will have a snowball fight from behind snow walls. But making snowman is something very different.
In fighting, someone has to win and the other has to loose. In making snowman, children are joining forces to make something productive. Something that will last for several days. On the top of that, it is easy and fun 🙂 to make a snowman.
Knowing that, here is a new task for your group. You have to make a snowman.
But, your snowman is the special one. It will represent your company. Remember, you are now allowed to use your company logo, flag or write name of your company.
Still everyone that will pass by, will be clear that it is your snowman.
Discuss among your group.
What is so unique in your company that everyone will recognise?
What else you can do so you can be even more unique?
When you
… Read more But, your snowman is the special one. It will represent your company. Remember, you are now allowed to use your company logo, flag or write name of your company.
Still everyone that will pass by, will be clear that it is your snowman.
Discuss among your group.
What is so unique in your company that everyone will recognise?
What else you can do so you can be even more unique?
When you
Idea #4 Company Logo from Values
Do it When you want to connect their values with values of the company.
Company values are something much more than a poster on the office wall. It is our life guidance, and if our company values are different from our personal values, we are in the wrong company, living a miserable life.
So, let`s start with drawing a company logo on the white board. The logo has to be big, so there will be enough space for posting yellow or colored tags. Each person has to write a value that is important to him and post it on the company logo.
When everyone has posted his value, people will start voting for those values. The value with more votes will be posted higher on the logo.
In the end you will have a company logo made from your real values. Take a picture and send to all of your employees and/or frame it at work and place it in some premises important to them.
Coaching questions:
1. What 3 values are you looking for in your career?
2. Why are those values important to you?
3. For each value, how satisfied are you on the scale from 1 … Read more
Idea #3 Chess as Your Corporate Gift
Do it When you want to make a really special company gift or during Team building when you want your team members to have a fun and think about the company strategy.
The history of chess spans some 1500 years. The earliest predecessors of the game originated in India, before the 6th century AD. A lot of business people play chess.
At least we are all familiar with the pieces used in chess.
King, queen, bishop, knight, rook and pawn. So, there are 6 different pieces for showing your creativity. Choose 6 your products and use them for all 6 pieces. Even if you don’t make a real corporate gift, you can use this example on your team building while discussing importance of each product.
1. Which one is major and the company will not survive without it (king)?
2. Which one is the most valuable on the market (queen)?
3. Which one is the cheapest product, available in every store and generates a profit everywhere (pawn)?
Encourage every idea that your colleagues will brainstorm. Good luck!