Thursday, August 12, 2010

Team Building Events - Things to Remember

Corporate team building events are sometimes recreational and sometimes educative, that's when they are categorized as training. Companies conduct both the events very often to improve team bonding.

After all, won't the world be a much better place if people got along well and things happened smoothly? Whatever the methodology, keep in mind a few things to get the maximum out of the event.

Set out with an objective - Very often in companies, a lot of money is spent on team building. But then HR departments see budget cuts later on because it's extremely difficult to show tangible benefits (or ROI) from team building activities.

The business and HR department should mutually agree upon expected outcome. If it is just to have fun, it's easy. But if the objective is resolving a conflict between two departments, you must plan better.

Location selection - Don't select a location where stay and activity areas are far from each other. And where ever this place is, make sure it is away from their workplace. Let your budget, time, age of participants and types of activities determine the location and not the other way round.

Clearly convey - Don't keep the participants in dark about the event. Clearly conveying the WIIFM (What's in it for me), ensures better attendance and commitment towards the event. They are adults, don't keep them guessing. More often than not surprises fall short of the expectations.

Take care of emergencies - If your team building event is going to be an outdoor event, make sure you have a sufficient supplies in the first aid box. It's also a great idea to engage a doctor on call for the days of the event. In case you intend to do adventurous sports, hire an expert to guide and take them through the experience. Keep the adventure level basic.

Take away - Whatever the event, take a feedback. It could be written or verbal based on the type of activities. It can also be clubbed with a debriefing session. Clearly discussing the take away and reactions to the session will help you estimate to what extent your objectives have been met. This will also convince the participants that their time was well spent.

Slog out to make this event a success and put as a much details into the planning as you can. But on the days of the event, don't forget to have fun!

By : Neha_Ratnakar

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