Connection is Key: Connect More Deeply With Your Team With This Activity


Connection

Connection: the key ingredient to making my work work. My clients want to strategically plan, to have motivated teams, communicate openly, build a culture of trust, and get the most effective results.  And none of that is can be optimized without the true sense of connection.

Connection is 3 fold:

Connection with self.  We gain this from pausing every now and again, reflecting on what’s working, what’s not, and where we want to put out energy and efforts.

Connection with others. Vulnerability is the breeding ground of potential, as is curiosity.  When we let others truly see us without leading with pretense or ego, and we seek to understand others without judgement, we have opportunity to connect more deeply.

Connection with our futures.  Strategic planning, skill development, and goals are all about connection with our future selves and creating our best lives.

Do you want to connect more deeply with your team?

Here is my very best team building activity.  As a corporate team builder, I realize that some people love the idea of team building, and others hate it (especially if it looks like a game, and there are props).  This is the only activity I have done 200 times, and I’ve seen major transformation in relationships in the shortest time.  This is a great return-on-investment activity, ya’ll.

How to:

In groups no larger than 5 participants, ask each person to talk about themselves for 2 minutes.  Use a timer. The others in the group are to mostly be quiet, not prompting the speaker with questions, and listen with curiosity.  Give examples of what they could talk about that range from the surface (favorite food, where they grew up) to deep (dreams, challenges). Everyone takes a turn, and the group thanks each person after their 2-minute share.  Afterward, the group has so much fodder for future conversation.  Once finished, invite each person to take a few notes of details about each other that they don’t want to forget.

For hard-driving teams, it’s important to remember that relationship is another road to productivity. I first learned this working in Alaska with teenagers through Visions Service Adventures and in Denmark with the Children’s International Summer Village. When we see the humanity in each other and that we have similarities despite our previous conflicts and personality differences, connection sparks.

Looking to enhance your team?

Read this article by Cynthia Seelhammer about creating a culture of strategic thinkers, great questions and big picture thinking.

Wanting to connect more with your customers?

Watch our homemade video about customer service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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