Let's get tactical.

We all have (too many?) meetings. We all want the meetings to have  meaningful, effective, and productive results. We all know that sometimes the way we start the meetings directly impacts those results.

I was asked yesterday by a long-distance client if I could suggest "team building icebreakers" for a major
staff meeting next week. Considering that engagement directly relates to both team building and ice breaking, I said, "Sure."

Figured I'd share them with you, exactly as they were e-mailed to the client.

Use them as you wish…

I've operated on these givens:

1. A 15-30 minute time frame.
2. Approximately 12 participants.
3. The intent to focus on "communications among team members" and to make at least minimal transference to the issue of inter-group communications.
4. The desire to engage and energize the meeting and participants from the get-go.

Know Me More
Have individuals stand in either a circle or a large U-shape.
Explain that each individual is invited to share some bit of information about her/him that no one in the group already knows.
Emphasize that the information does not have to be deeply personal, does not have to be "secret" and does not have to be "major."
It only has to be something no one else already knows.

Allow time for every individual to share information. Allow as much laughter, interplay, etc. as possible.

Debrief with such questions as…

1. Why do you suppose we did this? (Any/every answer is correct, for the base purpose is for participants to experience whatever they experience.)
2. What effects might this brief exercise have on us as a team and our work as a team?
3. How might we extend what we've learned from this activity to our future as a team?

The Communicator in Me

Introduce by reminding that communication has two parts: sending (expressing) and receiving (listening).
Distribute 3×5 index cards.
Ask everyone to write a statement on one side of the card that praises a specific aspect of her/his expressing and a statement that praises her/his listening on the other side.
Remind them that the invitation makes bragging fine!  You want everyone to praise a single aspect of her/his expressing and listening.

Collect the cards, shuffle them well. Redistribute the cards randomly.

One person at a time reads either side of the card held. The person reading guesses whose card it is. If incorrect, the entire group can volunteer guesses. If nec. have the "owner" of the card identify her/himself.
After the "owner" is known, the flip side of the card may be read to the group.
(NOTE: This activity may require a close eye on the clock. It could run over 30 minutes if not well monitored.)
(NOTE2: The flip of this activity, for a subsequent meeting, is to have every participant honestly write a critical statement of expressing/listening on the card.)

I Hear You! What?
In advance, draft function-specific statements, equal in number to your participants. The statements do not need to be long, detailed, or complex; they need merely relate somewhat to the participants' work. (Example: The new Policy and Procedures book will benefit every employee.)
Write the statements on individual index cards. Distribute one card to each participant.

Offer instructions such as these:
Partner up. If we have an odd number of participants, one group will be a trio.
Decide with your partner who will go first, who will go second.
When I say 'go' the first partner reads his statement to the other partner.
The listening partner responds either by stating back what he has heard, accurately, in her/his own words or by stating back something completely off target, not even closely related to what's been said. It's your choice as the listener.
Immediately after, the second partner reads her statement. The listening partner chooses to restate accurately or miss the mark completely.
 
NOTE: Be sure you are comfortable giving the instructions. You need not follow that script; you may vary it to suit you as long as you have both partners experience making the statement and receiving either true listening or non-listening.

Debrief with these questions:

1. If your partner reflected back that she/he listened carefully and accurately to what you said, how did you feel?
2. How did you feel if your partner demonstrated she/he had not been listening at all?
3. How might we transfer this to our everyday communications? What do we need to do to make the transfer "stick"?

 

Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_tahoe_guy/249255831/

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Tags: meetings management training