Team Building in the Office ~ Expressed Interest

by guest writer Donna VanHorn

Team building in an office helps foster better and open communication between employees, themselves, and also, between employees and upper management. It goes a long way in improving professional relations, understanding and cooperation, and this is very much reflected in the quality of work done.

Team building in the workplace significantly contributes towards employee motivation and building trust among employees, thereby ensuring better productivity. Making the team a unit and improving coordination between its members is one of the important goals to be achieved on the way to success.

Activities aimed at team building can certainly play a part in the success of a project or even a long-term goal. Even simple team building activities would help employees get in a better mood. These are some of the common team building exercises for communication, success and improved team performance:

• Employee Feedback Activities: Employee surveys and feedback activities are a great way of breaking the ice and encouraging employees to speak freely. It makes the employees feel wanted and gives them an assurance of the fact that their opinions are valued. Useful input for the success of a project can be obtained during feedback sessions.
• Promote Informal Addressing: Step out of the traditional and formal way of employee-boss interaction and speak freely. This gives the employees a reassurance that you are one of them (just like a team member). This will work to your advantage as it encourages open workplace communication, sharing of ideas, and helps maintain healthy work relations. One cannot keep an open mind while listening or speaking when under pressure. An informal session can ease that pressure.
• Celebrate Each Other’s Success: Learn to appreciate and acknowledge each other’s efforts. Also, celebrate the success of a job well-done or a project delivered well ahead of the deadline. There is no better way than appreciating each others’ success to instill a sense of team spirit. This helps in wiping out any kind of negativity and keeps the team united. Also, the team begins their work with a renewed vigor and greater focus.

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• Initiate Group Discussion Sessions: If you have a project-related activity you are not very sure about, try asking your employees for their views on the subject. Have a group discussion on the matter and seek their suggestions and opinions. In any case, it will be you who has the last word, but this particular gesture will promote teamwork, boost employee confidence and, once again, make them feel valued and wanted.

Team building projects and activities are seldom complete without the use of some inspirational team building slogans. Remember, words possess great power; this power can be used in drawing attention and inspiring people. Here are a few popular and inspirational quotes and slogans that you can use during team building activities for the workplace:

• “There is no ‘I’ in TEAM.” ~ Anonymous
• “A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle.” ~ Japanese proverb
• “A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way.” ~ Swahili proverb
• “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” ~ Henry Ford
• “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” ~ Kareem Abdul Jabbar
• “A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skill of the others.” ~ Norman Shidle
• “You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.” ~ Doug Floyd

Remember, team leadership and team building go hand in hand. Proper use of team building activities for the workplace often translates into success for everyone. It is not difficult and does not require you to go out-of-the-way or do anything extraordinary. As the popular saying goes, “Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

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