How do you know whether you should run team building in-house or engage an external facilitator?
To answer this question, it is not really that hard to run a team building activity in-house. The question is, do you have time in your day to this.
Let’s look at the four-steps that we use:
Step 1: Planning. I usually approach this using 5Ws and an H. Who is it for, what will we do, when will we do it, why are we doing it, where will it be held, and how will it look? Then add in who can help, how much is the budget, how do I get approval, how long will it go for, is catering required, and more. This is the skeleton of the activity and can inform a business case if required.
Step 2: Preparing. With approval and a budget granted, it is now time to prepare the activity. This including promoting it to the team, building enthusiasm, gathering helpers, designing the activity, obtaining supplies, booking venues and catering, and being fully ready to go on the day. And don’t forget to cater for the needs of introverts, extroverts, and people with dietary or accessibility needs.
Step 3: Delivery. The day has arrived. Obviously, if you are delivering an activity it is very hard to also be an active participant. As the organiser, you need to set up before everyone arrives, brief your support team or helpers, ensure the activity runs smoothly and to time, problem solve any issues, and then clean up at the end of the day.
Step 4: Follow Up. One thing that I have found in my experiences as an employee is the many team building activities happen and are then never talked about again. To truly make a change it is important to follow-up on the activity a few days following, then a week and even a month later. Find out what attendees learnt about themselves, about their team and team mates, what strengths did people show and was the intention met?
So, no it is not hard to run a team building activity, and it can be done in-house, but do you have the time and energy to put into this?
We do.
