By 3 min read

Idea #60 My good colleague

Do it When you want to make a stronger connection in a team. Everyone in a group has to make a profile of someone else without making so obvious who that person is. In fact the point is to tell the truth about that person, but to make it so hard to recognize. Sentences could be: “She is a cat lover. She prefers to wear a white shirt. He always makes jokes. He has a degree in economics. She is very charismatic. He is a book lover. “Another criterion is that other people can’t say: “Yeah, we all like going to the parties!” So the profile really has to be unique to that person. In the end discuss what new  you have learned about people in your team. The better we know each other, the sooner we grow as a team. Remember what Clara Ortega said: “To the outside world we all grow old. But not to our brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.”

Now, … Read more

By 3 min read

Idea #59 What are Characteristics of your Team?

Do it When you want to make a team building. Divide your team in the groups of three. Give them the same task. Imagine that your team is represented with an animal, but that animal has to be the combination of three animals with one characteristic from each one. For example, we are as brave as a tiger, with the speed of an antelope and we are strong like an elephant. Now each group should draw its animal as a group logo. All three members of the group should draw at the same time. At the end make presentations and discussions. Remind them of this quote: “What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division, every component is there not for individual competitive profit or recognition, but for contribution to the system as a whole on a win-win basis.” – W. Edward Deming

Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that for solving your main company problem you should develop three characteristics. Name all 3 of them?
2. What does the solution to this problem mean to you?
3. How would you know … Read more

By 3 min read

Idea #55 What we have learned from donkeys

Do it When you train team building. First tell them a story: Once upon a time there were two donkeys that were tied together. They both wanted to eat off the bushes but the rope wasn’t long enough. They both really wanted to eat but they just couldn’t reach,so they just pulled and pulled hoping that the rope would stretch but it wouldn’t. Because they couldn’t reach,the donkey just sat and tried to think of a way to eat? Then one suddenly clicked and said “now that we are friends why don’t we just stand next to each other and take turns”. They decided they’d eaten all they could from the other bush, so they moved to the next one and carried on all day.
Now, ask each of  them to write a list of things that he/she will do for other members of the team. The employee with the longest list will receive a prize.
Make smaller prizes for all members of the team.

Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you can help your team members in the way that is the most valuable for them. What would it be?
2. Why is that so important for … Read more

By 2 min read

Idea #54 Rafting as Team Building + Stress Reduction

Do it When you have team building during white water rafting. If you have chance to go with your employee to white water rafting that is perfect chance to perform team building. If you need team building program just ask me. At this point I just want to remind that this is perfect situation for stress reduction from the team. Just bring with you water pistols, water guns and plastic washbowls. Usually people don’t have idea to bring those features at rafting but when you have several boats people will immediately start splashing crew of other boat. So just let them enjoy the ride. During other games for sure you will make discussion about things you have seen during splashing.

Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Where is the best environment for you for team building?
2. What would you do there?
3. What resources you need for that?
4. What capabilities are mandatory for successful team building?
5. Why is so important for you to have the best team building?
6. What values would you confirm there?
7. Who would you be after that?
8. Who else would benefit from that?
9. Write your full action plan … Read more

By 2 min read

Idea #53 Tennis ball & Team Building

Do it When you have team building. People are standing in a group or sitting around the table. Give them an easy task: Tennis ball has to pass everyone’s hands as quicker as possible. Team members will have to prepare strategy. Usually they will start with quick throwing ball. Measure their time and tell them that it can be quicker. They will start doing that quicker for sure. After several tries tell them that record is 2 second. After the first shock they will manage how to do it. They just have to make “tube” with everyone’s hands and pass the ball through that “tube”. Everyone will be happy with new idea.  “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” – Antoine de Saint

Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that your team has become perfect?
2. Why is that so important to you?
3. How would you know that your team is perfect?
4. What other valuess would you have then?
5. What else is even more important … Read more

By 2 min read

Idea #51 Child bricks for Creativity

Do it When you train creativity. Supply them with child bricks. All bricks have to have the same width and length. Only high and color ones have to be different. Each group has a task to present different characters or products by using only bricks. After 15 minutes some groups have to present their results and the other ones have to guess what character or product is about.
As Florence King said:  “Americans worship creativity the way they worship physical beauty – as a way of enjoying elitism without guilt: God did it.” But we know that we can develop creativity, just like we can develop our physical beauty.
Just for practising creativity, try to guess which cartoon characters are in picture below.

Now, coaching questions for you:
1. What is the most important thing that you can learn from your favorite cartoon character?
2. After having had that lesson how would your life look like?
3. What other values would you have?
4. What goals would you target then?
5. What would the very best action plan to that goal look like?
6. How would you know that you are on the right tracks?
7. What would make you … Read more

By 2 min read

Idea #46 Make your company commercial

Do it During Team Building when you want to establish company values. Divide participants in smaller teams. Tell them that they have to make company commercial. Each team will have to prepare scenario, do the acting and video tape commercial. If you have a time they can use different computer programs and prepare movie. In the evening you will have presentation of commercials.  After that you will have discussion. What was the message that we were sending from our company?

Now, coaching questions for you:
1. What is you key message that you want to send to the other people?
2. Why is that message so important to you?
3. How that message is influencing your everyday life?
4. Who else thinks that message is important?
5. How those people could be helpful in spreading that message?
6. How could you make that massage even more important?
7. What would be your action plan for making your message widely spread?
8. Now when you have made your plan, how do you feel?
Thank you and good luck.

     
 
 
 
    
… Read more
By 2 min read

Idea #32 Change what you do

Do it when you want to show importance of change. Give to all participants colored paper balls. Ideally, there are 14 of participants. On your sign they have to throw paper balls to each other. Every time someone has to catch just one ball. On sign everyone will have new ball. Do that 8 to 10 times. Then ask them to wrap up all paper balls.
On every paper should be just one word. Give them 3 minutes to make sentence.
Correct answer should be “If you do what you always do you will get what you always get.”
!#32
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you can restart your life, starting from the year that you are now. But, you can work your dream job. What it will be?
2. How will you know that it is your real dream job?
3. How satisfied would you be on a scale from 1 to 10?
4. Who would you be working that job?
5. Who else will be proud of you?
6. What type of resource you have?
7. What would you be ready to do to achieve that dream job?
8. What would be your first step?… Read more

By 2 min read

Idea #26 Firm as this stone

Do it When you want quickly to introduce all participants, and make them think about their characteristics. Give the basket with stones to the participants. Everyone has to take one stone and keep it in his hand. After that one by one each person has to say: 1) His name 2) His job position and the most importantly 3) His main good characteristic. He will do that by saying: “My enthusiasm is firm like this stone!”
After this introduction you can ask them questions like: “How each of those characteristics can be useful to our team or that training?”
!#26
Coaching questions for you are:
1. You have to take one stone and keep it all your life remembering about your most important good characteristic. What is it?
2. Knowing that you have that characteristic, what are the other 2 good characteristics that you also posses and maybe you are not so aware about them?
3. Now when you have those 3 characteristics, choose some area of your life, and some specific goal where you can use them. What is that goal?
4. How important on a scale from 1 to 10 is completing that goal?
5. Why is … Read more

By 2 min read

Idea #24 Masters I give you 3 wishes each

Do it When you want to know what is really important to your people and what they want to change. Just imagine that in a basement of your company building you have found an old lamp.   When you rub it a good genie appears.  The genie gives to each member of your team 3 wishes.  Everyone has to make 3 changes. You have to change yourself, your manager and your job.

You have 5 minutes for preparation and then you start presentations, one by one.
You can make variations by making dividing people on groups of 3, so they can work and make presentation together. In that case give them flip chart. when you finish make a picture of presentations and use them in your company, Of course send one copy to us.

1. While that good genie is in the house, ask him for one additional wish. What it will be?
2. Why is it so important to you, that you will spend that one wish on it?
3. What changes in your life it will make?
4. How might you take it even further?
5. What skills would you need for it?
6. How are going … Read more

By 3 min read

Idea #23 Why do you respect your boss?

Do it When you want to connect people and make a team. 
African born English Writer, William Plomer said: “Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.”
Now, we are going to implement that creativity in practice. All you need is love 🙂 and a bag of m&ms or any other colored candies.
Closed eyes each member of your team has to take one candy. Just tell them that take it doesn’t mean eat it.
!#23#
When everyone has his candy including you tell them the rules. One by one according to clockwise order, everyone has to tell in 3 sentences a story based on following:
Red candy: Why he/she likes to work in your company?
Blue candy: When  he/she was the most proud during his career?
Yellow candy: What was the most difficult client and how he/she has solved that?
Brown candy: When was the time he has felt miserable and how he has overcame that?
Green candy: What is his/her the most ambitious plan in your company?
Orange candy: What his/her boss said to him that made him the proudest person?
When all finish they can eat candies, and we can start coaching!
1. Now,
… Read more
By 3 min read

Idea #21 How to learn a new skill?

Do it When your team have to learn some now skill or to face a difficult change.
People say that:” The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change”. But employees are often afraid of a change. Sometimes they are even afraid of some new skill that they have to adopt. Show them that learning new skill is easy as A, B, C… or should I said Z, Y, X…?
Ask your group to say alphabet from A to Z. People will laugh and did it with moderate speed. Tell them that new task is to do the alphabet backwards. They will laugh even more and say that is not possible without reading.
Tell them that it is all up to them. If they think it is not possible, for sure they are right.
But they have 3 minutes to prepare strategy for learning and 10 minutes for practicing. During that time they can use whatever they want just to learn that new skill.
After those 13 minutes for sure they will succeed. Ask them:
How did they feel when they heard for the first time what the task is?
In which way preparation of strategy … Read more

By 2 min read

Idea #18 Make Your Team Rules

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.
!#18
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

By 3 min read

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
By 2 min read

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.
greeting_card_popup

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? 

     
 
 
 
   
… Read more
By 2 min read

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.

     
 
 
 
    
… Read more
By 2 min read

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.
!#7

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 🙂

     
… Read more
By 2 min read

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.
company 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
By 2 min read

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.
!#4 Company Values
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