Effective team building activities in NYC

I hosted a great event last week for a new client. The diverse group was in town from all over the country for a week of meetings & training sessions, and this was to be their big, fun “social activity” which is typically tacked on somewhere at these sorts of functions.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I invited two participants up onstage for a little one-on-one trivia game, which we usually hold in between full-room trivia rounds while score sheets are being graded, and had the following exchange take place:

Me: “Okay, contestant #1 – why don’t you tell the room who you are, and where you’re from!”

Contestant: “My name is [blank], and I’m from Connecticut.

Me: “No way! I’m originally from Connecticut. Which town are you from?”

Contestant: “Stamford…”

Me: “What! That’s crazy, I grew up in Stamford! Which high school did you go to?”

Contestant: “Westhill High School…”

Me: “AHHH! Me too! That’s INSANE!”

It turns out that this woman graduated from my high school a few years before me – in a room full of people from all over the country, what are the odds of something like that happening! Crazy, right?

We of course chatted afterwards – turns out we not only went to the same high school, but the same middle school as well. We bonded over teachers and administrators of yesteryear, and just basically enjoyed the moment of having something incredibly unique in common, which typically never happens at a workplace setting like that.

Of course, there was an irony in all of this which wasn’t lost on me. I’ve been a producer of NYC team building activities for the office for ten years now, so I’m well-versed in the stigma which these types of events have: cheesy, forced, inauthentic, ineffective. Believe me, I get it – I’ve had more than my share of team exercises I’ve been compelled to participate in over the years, both as a student as well as an employee, and by and large, they’re terrible (trust falls, anyone?). That’s why I started my own company seven years ago, to help create positive shared experiences for corporate groups which AREN’T awful, and which those involved truly do get a meaningful and impactful “something” out of it – hopefully a clearly-stated goal like improved communication, collaboration & teamwork, however if nothing else they’ll get to know one another better, and feel more comfortable as a group.

I’d mentioned that this event went well, and I’m thrilled to say it did – I got an Email from the client the next day, basically saying, “Some people were a bit hesitant about it going in, however it went better than I could have hoped for.” Fortunately, this is something I hear a lot, and I’m both honored and proud that my product is well-received; however, it also reveals that the bar of expectation for a fun & consequential event is set far, far too low.

Here’s the point I wish to make, and how I’d like to tie this all together. Though not a part of this group, I had a truly authentic interaction with someone at this event whom I didn’t even know beforehand, based solely on our past shared experience of having attended the same school. I can guarantee that if I WAS working at this company, that this employee and me would have a special bond from that point forward – a something unique and exceptional. We’d likely trust one another more easily, and be more prone to giving each other the benefit of the doubt.

But that sort of connection is obviously few and far between. Aren’t these sorts of bonding gigs too superficial, too infrequent and too short to create a similar experience out of thin air?

In short: aren’t they too artificial to have any lasting effect?

I’d argue no, and here’s why: whether you’ve got a cadre of people who work together intimately on a daily basis, or who are sprawled out around the country like the folks in this example and only put into the same room briefly every year, you’ve got a real opportunity to make a lasting impact with a thoughtful, well-planned, and well-executed event. I can’t overstate the fact that it CANNOT seem unnatural , fixed or contrived – don’t forget, by and large those who are attending these events aren’t doing so by choice, and already have a very low expectation of success to begin with.

So…exceed their expectations!

Give them something which is not only extremely enjoyable, but which is also high-energy, possibly competitive, social, and laugh-filled. I won’t lie, booze also helps. But I firmly believe that if you provide folks with an environment which allows them to feel comfortable and happy from the start, it will naturally foster the type of bonds which you as the planner are no doubt seeking to cultivate. Click here to learn about making the exercise engaging.

In addition to the above, I’d also recommend to ensure your event doesn’t’ feel fabricated, I’d strongly recommend you make it as personalized and tailored to the SPECIFIC group attending. Believe me, they’ll take notice and appreciate it from the start; conversely, if this feels like a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all ordeal, they’ll tune out (or even worse, if the activity and material run COUNTER to the group’s interests, passions, or are completely, totally irrelevant – imagine the reaction that would create? Not good, I assure you…!) Learn more about event customization.

So, yes – I believe that you needn’t seek out who went to high school with who in order to have an event which makes sense. But if you DO want there to be a favorable impact, one which your colleagues will bring back to the office with and put into practice long after the exercise is over, you’ve got to put in the thought, time and effort beforehand to ensure that it is highly germane to your SPECIFIC group, as well as your SPECIFIC goals. Try it, you’ll see – it’ll be worth its weight in gold as far as making the team happier, resulting in a better product, as well as more satisfied customers!

For more on this subject, check out this recent Forbes article on the importance of team building, as well as visit www.trivworks.com/employee-team-building/