Chances are, you’re looking at this blog post because you are looking for ways to help your team bond together to become a more cohesive, collaborative and more productive unit, right? Well, the answer is simple – harness the power of play. This isn’t “just having fun”. Instead, there is a lot more behind this important concept than you realise. Getting your staff working as a team is critical to the future of your business and we believe using the power of play is the key to making this happen. Here are 5 reasons why you should incorporate play in your corporate team building activities today:
Team Bonding with Play is Involving
The best way to learn new skills is by actually doing things, and getting your hands dirty! Research shows that when people just sit and listen to a teacher, they retain only 20% of what they hear. But participants involved in active learning (doing a real job, a simulation, a training game, etc.) retain 90% of the information. Therefore, what are you waiting for? There’s tons of team building activities such as Laser Tag, Archery Tag and Bubble Soccer that can can with your team’s team bonding.
Team Bonding with Play Explores Team Dynamics
Everyone possesses a distinct personality, strengths and weaknesses. Thus, as a leader, it is important to understand the personality of your team.
- How does your team members function, communicate and plan?
- How does everyone make decisions?
- What are its unique weaknesses and strengths?
- How does the group adapt to change?
When you see your staff working as a team through play, it gives you all these answers. Engaging in team building activities such as Laser Tag allows you to examine and evaluate your group’s dynamics under controlled conditions.
Team Bonding with Play Promotes Self-Awareness
Play gives your team members the chance to view themselves and their teammates in a new light. We hear it again and again: “I had no idea Adam was so creative!” or “Who knew Jolene could had such strengths?” When your team becomes more aware of themselves, and those around them, they can dramatically improve their effectiveness as a team.
Team Bonding with Play Builds Trust
Through play, everyone within the organisation becomes more comfortable and familiar with their colleagues. This helps them sharpen their awareness of group dynamics, and begin to clearly understand where they fit in. Thus, when you allow your team to practice working as a team in a play environment, it effectively builds trust within your whole team.
Team Bonding with Play Provides Goal-Oriented Lessons
Each team building activity (laser tag, archery tag, splash tag or bubble soccer) delivers its own lessons, skills and experiences for participants. With different team building activity, you can choose the outcome you wish to focus on, and this can include one or more of the following:
- Problem solving
- Improved communication skills
- Working as a team
- New happenings within your organization
- Getting your team better acquainted
- Group lessons or a more individual focus
- Just about anything else you want!
This is why it is important to sound out to your team building vendors if you have a goal for your team building event so that they can design the team building activities in a way that will help you achieve it!