The 3 Most Important Skills to Practice at Team Building Activities

So you’ve decided to hold a “team building exercise,” and have everyone from the group, department or company participate. Do you have a goal in mind?

For many HR managers and executive staff, the true goal of team building activities in New York City and elsewhere is rather nebulous. Yes, there is value in taking a step back and lifting everyone outside of the daily grind, in order to have a shared positive experience; however, what is the purpose for your event? Without a clear idea of what skills you want your staff to take back with them to the office, you may just we wasting everyone’s valuable time- and halting productivity in the process.

Below are the 3 most important skills which every team building activity must incorporate, in order to have a lasting positive impact on your group which will favorably affect performance:

1) Collaboration – Events which are designed to promote group interaction should naturally foster meaningful collaboration as well. As the world gets flatter and digital technology becomes faster and more efficient, the need for employees and senior staff alike to practice meaningful collaborative skills has never been greater, and will only increase in the years to come.

2) Communication – With a faster, more interconnected world comes the need to manage an ever-growing number of emails, texts, calls and meetings (both live and virtual). Mastering group and interpersonal communication skills is vital to staff at all levels, especially as the constant demand for our time and attention across a variety of mediums forces us to sacrifice the care we put into how we communicate with one another.

3) Decision Making – Perhaps the most vital skill for employees at all levels to master, sound decision making is a skill shared by successful leaders in every industry. Events such as this offer a unique opportunity for teams to practice decision making in a group setting, without “real world” consequences.

Teamwork will play an increasingly vital role in the rapidly transforming digital workplace. Skills that allow employees to work better as a team by collaborating better, communicating more effectively and making crisp, clear decisions should be an absolute priority for companies who want to compete effectively and efficiently in the years to come.

What are some other important skills which team building activities should help employees develop?