Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers : 50 Exercises That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes

Every group can benefit from team-building exercises. But sometimes it's not practical to embark on a full-scale training initiative. Now, supervisors, managers, and team leaders have 50 team-building activities to choose from, all of which can be implemented with no special facilities, big expense, or previous training experience. Readers will find engaging exercises for:\* Building new teams and helping teams with new members\* Dealing with change and its effects: anger, fear, frustration, and more\* Recognizing individual efforts and team accomplishments\* Finding creative ways to work together and solve problems\* Increasing and improving communication\* Leveraging diversity and individual differences to meet team goals\* Keeping competition healthy and productive within the teamInstructions and tips for follow-up and variations are included for each activity, and an additional chapter provides valuable advice for working through unexpected difficulties in team-building. Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 Part I. Getting Ready......Page 18 STEP 1. BEFORE: SELECT AN ACTIVITY THAT’S GOOD FOR YOUR TEAM......Page 20 STEP 2. BEFORE: PREPARE FOR YOUR TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITY......Page 21 STEP 3. DURING: EXPLAIN THE ACTIVITY TO THE TEAM......Page 22 STEP 4. DURING: CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING BEFORE BEGINNING......Page 24 STEP 5. DURING: RUN THE ACTIVITY......Page 25 STEP 6. DURING: DEBRIEF THE ACTIVITY......Page 26 STEP 7. AFTER: REINFORCE THE LEARNING BACK ON THE JOB......Page 27 CHAPTER 2. What Could Go Wrong in a Team-Building Activity......Page 30 Part II. The Activities......Page 40 CHAPTER 3. Communication: Listening and Influencing......Page 42 $2 NEGOTIATION......Page 43 CARD TRIANGLES......Page 46 LISTEN UP......Page 48 ME, MYSELF, AND I......Page 51 ORIGAMI......Page 53 SHARED VALUES......Page 55 WASHING MACHINES......Page 58 CHAPTER 4. Connecting: Getting to Know Each Other......Page 62 A DAY IN THE LIFE . . .......Page 63 GOSSIP TIME......Page 65 HUMAN BILLBOARDS......Page 67 MY N.A.M.E.......Page 69 A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS......Page 71 RATHER THAN......Page 74 READY, SET, REORGANIZE!......Page 76 SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES......Page 79 SWEET STORIES......Page 82 CHAPTER 5. Cooperation: Working Together as a Team......Page 86 CATCH!......Page 87 PASS THE CARD......Page 90 POPCORN......Page 93 PUZZLED......Page 95 SILENCE IS GOLDEN......Page 98 STAR POWER......Page 100 TIED!......Page 102 UNITED HEARTS......Page 104 CHAPTER 6. Coping: Dealing with Change......Page 108 CHANGE TIME LINE......Page 109 GUESS AND SWITCH......Page 112 INDEX TOWERS......Page 115 MACHINES......Page 117 MAKEOVERS......Page 119 NUMBERS......Page 121 PUZZLED THUMBS......Page 123 SIMON SEZ......Page 126 WRONG-HANDED PICTURE......Page 128 CHAPTER 7. Creativity: Solving Problems Together......Page 130 SEVEN HANDS......Page 131 BALLOON SCULPTURES......Page 134 CARD STACK......Page 136 CONSULTANTS......Page 139 IMPROVE THIS......Page 142 ONE-WORDED STORIES......Page 145 PAPER SHUFFLE......Page 148 CHAPTER 8. Teamwork: Appreciating and Supporting Each Other......Page 150 BLAME GAME......Page 151 BUT NOTHING (FEEDBACK)......Page 154 BUT NOTHING (IDEAS)......Page 157 FIRST IMPRESSIONS......Page 160 JUNK TO JEWELS......Page 163 KUDOS......Page 165 LABELS......Page 168 RAINBOW OF DIVERSITY......Page 171 WHAT I LIKE ABOUT ME......Page 173 ZYX......Page 176 A......Page 180 I......Page 181 S......Page 182 Z......Page 183 About the Author......Page 184 Eliminate the need for time or resources on formal training and get your teams up and running themselves—with only minutes of prep. Between workplace personnel being more culturally diverse than ever before, a generation of employees being raised attached to technology while avoiding human interaction, and an increasing culture of competitiveness that is constantly raising tensions between cubicles, it has become absolutely essential for managers to focus more on camaraderie and building team spirit. Now in its second edition, Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers addresses the problems that drag down group productivity and helps teams: Collaborate successfully Cope with change Solve problems together Communicate better despite cultural and generational differences Boost creativit Leverage diversity Nurture healthy competition Each of the 50 team-building activities in this invaluable resource takes only minutes to prep and uses only everyday office items to get its point across. In just 15 minutes a day, the results will be immediate: sullen teams find sparkle, nervous teams gain confidence, teams of strangers get to know one another. There are even activities to help the virtual team! No one will be left out, and all with leave the activity feeling better about their team and their individual role within it. Every team needs a regular dose of team spirit to function at its best. That's why managers turn to these easy and effective activities for building camaraderie and cohesion. Now in its second edition, Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers addresses the problems that drag down group productivity and helps Each of the 50 exercises takes just minutes to prep, and most call for everyday items like pens or paper clips. No elaborate training sessions or prepared presentations required. Simply scan the instructions explaining how to run the session, what problems might crop up, and which questions to ask to drive the lessons home. The results are sullen teams find sparkle, nervous teams gain confidence, teams of strangers get to know one another. New and updated activities get everyone, including virtual teams, working together with purpose and a little bit of funfifteen minutes of the workday very well spent! Just because your team doesn't have the time or the budget to embark on a full-scale training program doesn't mean you have to abandon the idea of team-building exercises altogether. Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers presents 50 fun, practical exercises to choose from, and you don't need any special facilities, expensive products, or previous training experience to get great results -- in minutes! This guide offers 50 proven exercises any manager can use without spending lots of money. These group activities are designed with the non-trainer in mind. It features a special chapter on troubleshooting and dealing with unexpected difficulties in team-building. Contains instructions for fifty team building exercises that can be done in an office and take no more than fifteen minutes to complete The best team-building activity can become the worst team-building experience when there is no clear objective. No experience necessary: Any manager can build great teams with these simple exercises.