Miller - Quick teambuilding activities for busy managers: 50 exercises that get results in just 15 minutes

QUICK TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR BUSY MANAGERSQUICK TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR BUSY MANAGERS50 Exercises That Get
Results in Just 15 MinutesBRIAN COLE MILLER Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations, professional associations, and other organizations. For details, contact Special Sales Department, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller, Brian Cole, 1956 Quick teambuilding activities for busy managers : 50 exercises that get results in just 15 minutes / Brian Cole Miller.
p. cm. Includes index.
ISBN 0-8144-7201-X
1. Teams in the workplaceTraining of. 2. 3. 3.

Communication in organizations. Problems, exercises, etc. 4. Interpersonal communication. Problems, exercises, etc. 5.

Group games. I. Title. HD66 .M544 2004
658.4/02 21 2003011316 2004 Brian Cole Miller
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

They had similar requests of me. Brian, can you give me a quick team-building activity? I want to do something to help my staff come together as a team, but we dont have a lot of time. Nothing touchy-feely. Also, nothing that requires any materials or preparation, because Im late for that staff meeting already! From those conversations came the idea for this book. My thanks to the following busy managers and professionals who made time to help me pull this book together: Bill Weirsma, Wendy Shaw, Dawn Snyder, Gary Siegerst, Brenda Rowe, Alex Rodriguez, Eileen Nunley, Dean Miller, Chris Lowe, Leslie Lampert, Lynn Jackson, Mark Hansen, Daina Gold, Kay Doucette, Joe Davey, Rick Damato, Sara Cope, Mylo Cope, Gail Cope, Caroline Cofer, Ed Buns, and Sarah Beaulieu. The sources of these activities are numerous.

I designed many myself. I modified others from existing games and activities. The rest I learned from others in the field, sometimes as I participated at conferences and seminars. I apologize in advance to anyone I may have not credited for their activities. Thank you Kiki, Margie, Rudy, Suzanne, Michael, and Jane for teaching me what teamwork is all about. Thank you Paul Montgomery for the fantastic illustrations.

Biggest thank you to my familyBenjamin, Heidee, Logan, Stacee, Mom-in-law, and especially Timfor their unbridled support and enthusiasm. QUICK TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Longstanding issues will not be resolved. Age-old antagonists will not emerge as best friends. Major obstacles will not disappear. However, important team issues will be brought to light. Strangers will become acquaintances. Group norms will be established.

Feelings will be validated. Camaraderie will be enhanced. In the end, a stronger team spirit will be fostered. All activities can be done with only a few materials, or even none at all. You will not have to run to the store for odd materials to conduct these activities. In fact, more than half of the activities require nothing more than pen and paper! The materials required for the rest of them are simple things often found at work, such as paper clips, markers, index cards, pennies, old magazines, and so forth. Each activity has one or more specific, focused objectives. Team-building activities are usually fun, and the ones in this book definitely are. Each activity has one or more specific, focused objectives. Team-building activities are usually fun, and the ones in this book definitely are.

Fun is not the primary focus of any activity in this book, though. Each activity is designed to help your group come together as a team in one way or another. You can have fun while you learn and grow together! A busy manager like you can run every activity here easily. They are simple to understand and easy to prepare for. Some of them can be conducted successfully moments after you read them for the first time. You can pick up this book on your way to a meeting and use an activity from it right then and there! The outline for each activity is easy to follow. Each one is presented in the same easy-to-read, bulleted format: This is explains very briefly what the activity is. Use this when gives you clues you should look for that will tell you if this is the right activity for the purpose you and your team are thinking about. Materials youll need tells you everything you will need for the activity. Materials youll need tells you everything you will need for the activity.

Often, its nothing! Heres how outlines, step by step, how to conduct the activity. For example illustrates how the activity may play out, so you get a good sense of what to expect on each one. Ask these questions lists the best questions for each activity. These are used for the Debrief, the most important part of any team-building activity. During this session, participants discuss what they learned from the activity and relate it to their behavior back on the job. Try these variations offers variations on the activity that can be used to spice it up, slow it down, add a level of competition, or otherwise alter it for a slightly different learning experience. Try these variations offers variations on the activity that can be used to spice it up, slow it down, add a level of competition, or otherwise alter it for a slightly different learning experience.

Relax, you will not find any of these types of activities here: NO fish bowl activities in which only a few participants are actively involved while everyone else watches and critiques them. NO role-plays where participants are given a fictitious role to act out or pretend. NO demonstrations in which the leader makes a point by demonstrating something while all the participants merely watch and then discuss. NO outdoor activities requiring large areas, nice weather, and physically fit participants.