Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Top ways to build your team with fun

Do your staff meetings go something like this?

“Could everyone please sit down now and stop talking? We’ve got a lot to cover today and you guys need to get back out there as quickly as possible, so let’s get going.

“We’re having problems getting laundry to the right person. Mr. Marcus’s family is complaining again that his sweater is missing – has anyone seen it?”

And on and on…not really a whole lot of fun, is it?

What if, instead of lecturing on the need to be more careful with residents’ clothing, you pulled two people aside ahead of time and planned a little skit:

Actor #1 (playing the part of the family member): “Darn it, my dad’s sweater is missing AGAIN. Can’t you guys EVER get the clothes straight around here?”

Actor #2 (playing the part of the manager): “I’ll be happy to try to find your dad’s sweater. Let me ask around and see if we can get it back to him today.”

Actor #1: “I’m just sick and tired of my dad’s clothes missing. What kind of place are you running, anyway?”

Actor #2, gathering a group of employees together): “OK you guys, we’ve GOT to find Mr. Marcus’s sweater RIGHT NOW. His family is throwing a fit and yelling at me. GET BUSY – and FIND THAT SWEATER!!”

Actor #1, standing by the front door when a visitor (Actor #3) walks in: “I hope you’re not thinking of moving someone here – they can’t keep track of anything!”

Actor #3 to manager: “I think I’ll come back another time. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea for my mom…”

Do you think your team would remember this better than the monthly lecture? Try it – I’d bet you’ll be surprised!

If you'd like some more ideas for fun team-building activities (modify them to fit your needs, obviously), check out this great resource-packed website: http://wilderdom.com/games/InitiativeGames.html

Have fun – and build your team!

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