Finding the Value beyond the Activity. When planning your next team building activity, there are many factors to consider in order to achieve the outcomes you envision. Choosing a capable provider is vital; you need to find an experienced company with professional service who can deliver a quality event at an affordable price. It’s also necessary to ensure that the activity is fun and engaging to maximize team participation – when people aren’t enjoying themselves, they aren’t deriving any benefit from it and the activity is ineffective.

But how often do you consider the value beyond the activity itself? Is your team building event just an activity for the sake of it, or are there lasting benefits to be gained? Are you simply participating in a product or are you engaging a provider who is providing value beyond purely a 2-3 hour activity?

Finding The Value Beyond The Activity

A high quality team building event is more than just an entertaining get together; it offers long term value by connecting the activity to real world business applications to instill an important message or idea in your team. The key to making your team building event a success is recognizing this value and determining how to make the most of the activity so it can realise its full potential.

Your team is a unique combination of people with differing strengths and personalities. Each group has different project needs, and your activity needs to be tailored to address these needs so it can deliver a meaningful learning experience that resonates with your team and maximises the return on investment. When choosing an activity, don’t focus solely on what your team will be doing during the event; instead, consider how the activity will impact your team – what kind of learning and value they will derive from it and apply to the workplace in the days and weeks that follow. For your team to get value from an event, your provider needs to offer you a solution to meet your desired learning outcomes rather than just give you a product to fill a time slot. With the right team event, your team will come out stronger, with positive developments such as increased communication, improved performance, cooperation, and a greater understanding of your company’s goals.

Realising the Potential of the Team Building Event

Understanding the value and potential of an activity, and determining which one is right for your team, begins with identifying your required learning outcomes before deciding on the event. You need to have a clear picture of what you want to achieve so that you can choose an activity that will incorporate all of your objectives. Ask yourself what things would make your team better. Think about what kind of dialogue you want to inspire amongst your team, whether there is a fresh perspective you would like them to see, or a new way of thinking you would like to stimulate. Do you need an activity that encourages creative methods of problem solving? Are there conflicts among your team that you would like to shed light upon and give them the tools to resolve? Are you aiming to promote team bonding or improve morale? Would your group benefit from improved internal communication? Once you have targeted the specific areas you want to improve and have figured out which learning outcomes will be most beneficial to your team, you are ready to choose your team building event and provider.

Choosing the Right Provider

One of the keys to finding the value beyond the activity is choosing the right provider. Team building activities delivered professionally that align with your required learning outcomes can become powerful tools to positively stimulate change within your team and organisation. Once these outcomes have been identified, it’s time to find your event provider. The right provider recognizes that there is more to a team building event than just the activity itself. They understand that a truly successful event helps the team grow together and carry the lessons they’ve learned over to their everyday work life. Your provider needs to have an understanding of your business and your people; and most importantly, what you want to achieve. It’s imperative that you and your provider are on the same page regarding your expectations for the outcome of the event. An experienced and professional team building provider will be able to understand your requirements and recommend a solution that delivers the desired objectives in an engaging and stimulating way – not just provide a product that fills a time slot in your schedule.

Delivering Value Beyond the Activity

An effective team-building event that will create a lasting impact on your group dynamic and deliver value for your team features the following aspects:

• Your team provider must be able to explain and relate the team building program and its incorporated activities to your desired learning outcomes to ensure the program aligns with your vision.
• The activity must stimulate active discussion and provide transferable learning outcomes as a result of team member participation. Providing examples for discussion which can be transferred back to the work place.
• The provider needs to incorporate a high-quality facilitated debrief with the group at the conclusion of the event. This gives your team members the opportunity to open up new ways of thinking and can become the catalyst for stimulating change within your group or organisation.
• The inclusion of internal post-event workshops, think tanks, and team discussions helps your team reflect upon what they have learned from the event and apply it to their workplace. This ensures their continued development and gives your company a long-lasting return on investment.
• Administering post-event evaluations and surveys can provide you with feedback and assist with identifying both strengths and ongoing areas for development within your team

When choosing your next team building event, are you finding the value beyond the activity? We recommend you begin the planning process by making the value beyond the activity your top priority. This ensures that you will choose the right provider to partner with your organisation who will deliver a solution that transforms your team, increasing productivity and fueling them with the power to achieve their goals!

 Team Up Events is widely regarded as the thought leader in the NZ Team Building Industry, delivering in excess of 150 team solutions annually throughout the country. As the exclusive NZ partner to Catalyst Global, Team Up Events remains in sync with international trends, the latest in proven team-building solutions, and the application of best practices when it comes to meeting the needs of teams.