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Icebreaker Questions for Better Team Building

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

There are hundreds of perfect icebreaker questions out there, and it’s for a good reason! You’ll love these questions that encourage team building. When you get a group of people together, no matter how talented they may be individually, it can be awkward at first to bring everyone to the same page.


Friendships and working relationships will form over time, but if you want to build the strongest team possible, sometimes it takes a little encouragement. That’s exactly why these icebreaker questions work. Use them to get your team comfortable with each other, and well-bonded. The closer they feel, the better they will work together. As a result, you’re likely to see more success throughout your business, as you create an environment that will ensure everyone loves coming to work each day.

1. What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?

2. If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be, and why?

3. You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life – what is it?

4. What fictional world or place would you most like to visit?

5. If you could live in any country, where would you live?

Again, these are just a few questions to get you started. As stated above, there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating questions that will get your team thinking, connecting, and growing together. Use these five icebreakers as a way to jumpstart that bonding experience, and encourage working relationships throughout your business. The more comfortable your team is, the better they’ll be able to work together, and that can start with something a simple as a great icebreaker.

5 Quotes to Inspire Team Building

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

The best way to build a strong business is to first build a strong team. Your company is only as good as the components putting it together. That’s why team building itself remains such an important aspect of what businesses actually do. It’s not enough to simply hire people and train them. Instead, training them to work together for a greater purpose is the key.

For centuries, everyone from famous writers, notable scientists, to athletes and CEOs have recognized the importance of strong teamwork, and just how necessary it is to reach a higher level of success. Because of those successes, most people are all too willing to share their thoughts and opinions on team building, no matter the industry you may be in.

Looking to get your team inspired? Let’s check out five inspirational quotes to rev up your team’s motivation. You can use them as so much more than just ‘quotes to hang on the wall,’ or to send out to your team: Use them as your mantra, and make sure everyone is on board with the message and goal you’re trying to reach together.

  1. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller (BrainyQuote)
  1. “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie (Inc.)
  1. “Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek (Inc.)
  1. “In union, there is strength.” – Aesop (Teampedia)
  1. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford (Teampedia)

 

 

Five Quotes From Sheryl Sandberg On Teamwork and Effective Communication

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, gave a TED talk in 2010 to share “advice to women aiming for the C-suite.” Since then, she has launched a movement encouraging women to “lean in” and take on the challenges of building strong careers. Her 2013 book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, shines the spotlight on one vital ingredient in team building: communication. Sandberg discusses this topic many times throughout her book because she recognizes that in order to forge team bonds and make change, communication is key. Here are five quotes from Sandberg on the power of teamwork and effective communication.

(1) “Acting like a coalition truly does produce results.”

(2) “The ability to listen is as important as the ability to speak. Miscommunication is always a two way street.”

(3) “Authentic communication is not always easy, but it is the basis for successful relationships at home and real effectiveness at work.”

(4) “Motivation comes from working on things we care about. It also comes from working with people we care about.”

(5) “The laws of economics and many studies of diversity tell us that if we tapped the entire pool of human resources and talent, our collective performance would improve.”

Meditate to Boost Team Members and Forge Team Bonds

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Could meditation be helpful for team building? Phil Jackson, a renowned National Basketball Association (NBA) coach, sat for a conversation with Oprah Winfrey on the Super Soul Sunday television show. During their chat, he talked about using mindfulness and meditation in his coaching practices. Click here to check out the full interview. Elba Mueller, a meditation expert and life coach, seems to agree with Jackson’s idea of using mindfulness and meditation for team building purposes. She shared “five ways meditation can benefit businesses” in a blog post on the Chopra Center website.

1. Practicing meditation can provide “clarity and focus.” When team members possess these two qualities, they are in a better mental state to bond and to solve problems.

2. Companies that provide classes on mindfulness and meditation can promote feelings of “employee loyalty.” Loyalty can form the building blocks for building a happy and unified team.

3. In a group setting, communication is key. A team member who knows how to be mindful and thoughtful will be better equipped to communicate their ideas and galvanize a group to work towards realizing those visions.

4. Meditation can be helpful towards one’s overall state of well-being and health. Team members who experience less sickness will have more time to commit to getting things done at the office.

5. When one is enjoying good health, they may also feel more energetic and productive. That energy could be very useful in strengthening team bonds and making contributions towards team goals.

New Co-Working Space for Women Opens in NYC

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

The Wing, a new co-working space designed exclusively for women, is opening in NYC. The Wing is located in the famous Ladies Mile Historic District, the Broadway stretch that turned into the prime shopping destination for New York women in the 19th century. Having served as a sign of women empowerment in the past, the location is now revitalized by the Wing’s female team who strive to develop it into a flexible space encouraging communication and personal growth.

The Wing’s founder, Audrey Gelman, has professional experience as a political and public relations consultant and came with the idea after struggling to find a place where she could do her job while feeling ‘at home’. In a society where the rules have been historically written by men, the Wing offers an alternative – a home-base for all women, designed for genuine connection and utter convenience. The Wing’s team strives to establish the location as the prime offline destination where women of all ages and backgrounds can build their careers, skills, and relationships in an environment encouraging a sense of female empowerment.

Currently, the Wing offers more than just co-working space. On location, women can find a living room to relax, unwind and get ready to conquer the world, secure storage facilities, various programs and events dedicated to inspire and educate, as well as numerous opportunities to grab a delicious snack, a charging station, and even a lactation room. Women can apply and take advantage of all the amazing amenities and base of the Wing for a monthly fee of $185, or an annual fee of $1950, with all memberships offering being annual commitments.

3 Fun Ways to Motivate Your Teams

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Everyone knows that team building is an important part of keeping a business afloat, and successful. Your organization is only as good as the employees running it day in and day out, and the more confident, comfortable, and motivated they are independently, and as a group, the more benefits will arise within your business. Let’s take a closer look at a few different ways you can motivate your team to do their best, and work together to become more successful than ever.

  1. Include Everyone

Whether your employees are excited about ‘team building’ events, or a little hesitant to get involved, be sure to include everyone in the group whenever you plan something. It doesn’t have to be a huge event – in fact, it could be something as small as a ‘Secret Santa’ gift exchange at Christmas, or an in-office giveaway. Do what you can to make sure as many people as possible are involved. It will help to boost spirits, and it’s likely to get someone who may have originally been uninterested on board.

  1. Have Fun

This is probably the biggest component to this short, but important list. Having fun wherever you work practically ensures that your employees are not only going to be in good spirits, but do a better job for you. No one wants to come to work everyday and feel miserable. Having team events, holding parties, or just randomly inserting fun things into the day (like getting pizza for the office, etc.) can make a huge difference. Don’t be afraid to let loose once in awhile. Your happy employees will reward you for it with better work.

  1. Be Flexible

Some of the most successful companies today allow their employees to essentially ‘work when they want.’ Now, that doesn’t mean they only come into the office for an hour each week. But, there aren’t strict rules about when to come in, and when to go home. Not only does this tend to encourage a creativity flow, but it takes off the grinding pressure that many employees who work a 9-5 job typically face. When someone doesn’t feel pressured and stressed about their work, their production can soar.

There are plenty of ways to motivate your teams, and make them strong advocates for your business and its success. These are just a few tips to get started, but put them into place, and you’re bound to see growth within

Queen of Food Tours Team Building

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

 

What They Do: They are a culinary walking tour company in New York City focused on New York’s largest and most diverse borough, Queens

How They Do it: Queens Food Tours showcases the borough’s most exciting feature, its diversity, through a side of history, a dash of culture, and a whole lotta good eats. Come hungry and get ready to discover Queens’ one bite at a time!

What makes them Special: They provide a very different experience of New York City that includes some of the best and authentic cuisines in New York City.

Quotes from website:

“[Queens Food Tours] was one of the best I’ve ever taken. Our guide was knowledgeable, interesting, funny and took us to some great places to eat! I hope they expand to other parts of Queens soon.“ Robert C. –Tripadvisor

“A perfect combo of great food and history…hands down, the best tour in NYC outside of Manhattan!“ Kimberly T – Yelp

Who should you contact: [email protected]

Check out their website here: https://www.queensfoodtours.com

3 Simple Team Building Exercises

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Taking time for team building exercises at your company is a great way that to ensure your entire staff is on the same page and working together. If you are looking for some simple team building exercises, that you can do on a break or during a meeting, here are some ideas! These top team building exercises need minimal equipment and planning.

 

Two Truths and a Lie:

A great activities that to use for introducing new employees, as well as encouraging teams to learn more about each other.  Hand out sheets to each player and have them write down one lie and two truths. After each player has written down their list, each member will be asked to read out the truths and the lie in a random order. Participants will need to guess which response are true and which one is the lie. This game is great for creating constructive conversation and for learning more about employees.

 

Blind drawing:

In this activity, communication skills are important. Divide players into teams of two and have a stack of pictures for the players to describe. One player is given a photo and while sitting back to back with another player, they describe the image without using words that could it away. The end goal after 20-30 seconds is to have the person who guessing to successfully describe the main subject in one sentence.

 

Use what you have:

This activity involves creating a challenge for your employees to think on the fly. Create two teams. Each team will be given the same set of supplies. Their end goal will be to solve a particular problem. The first task could be sending an email to someone with certain members of the group only being able to touch certain keys. Or creating a new logo design with nothing but a few simple materials. Divide up into groups, create a time limit and see what amazing things each group comes up with.

If you are looking for excellent activities to use at work, keep these company team building exercises in mind.

 

7 Tips for Creating Successful Team Building Exercises:

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Many businesses are interested in introducing team building activities to their staff. The problem you may face, if you have never done team building, is that it can be an overwhelming and scary task.  Your employees might resist team building activities or you may feel like you don’t have the proper resources. Here are some tips on how you can unite your workforce and introduce fun team building activities.

  1. Integrate team building activities during work hours: One of the biggest problems that many small businesses face when planning team building activities is scheduling. If activities are scheduled outside of work hours, your teams may be resistant to participate, especially on a weekend or after a long day at work. If you are committed to introducing team building activities to the general work day, then you make sure everyone is able to participate.
  2. Make the experience collaborative: rather than establishing a tough competitions that break teams up, think of the team building exercises that ensures everyone needs to work together. This will encourage team bonding and collaboration!
  3. Consider volunteering as a group: Team building activities take the form of group volunteering! Set time aside to volunteer as a team for a local charity or help out with an activity like a food drive. No reason you can’t improve as a team while improving your community as well.
  4. Get out of the office: Getting your employees outside of their comfort zone and helping them interact more freely can create productive and happy teams.
  5. Make sure the activity is accessible: Think about all your employees. Make sure that the activities you plan have social and health benefits, but don’t plan activities that might leave a certain team member out. Ensure that all employees can participate so that the team can truly work together.
  6. Set your intentions: Let your staff members know the intent of the activity. If your goal for a specific team building activity is to introduce new people in your business, let everyone know. If your goal is simply to increase employee morale by taking part in some fun outside the office, make that intent known.
  7. Get feedback: It’s important to know what works and what your employees enjoy doing. A few days after team bonding event or team building exercise, gather feedback. Ask your employee if they would be comfortable doing a similar activity again, this will help you understand what to plan for the next time.

Keep some of these top tips in mind for scheduling successful team building exercises.

The Painting Lounge

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

What They Do: A Paint & Sip company with three studio locations (Midtown, Chelsea, Williamsburg). They offer relaxing and fun step-by-step painting classes paired with wine or beer.

How They Do it: Their classes are designed for all skills levels, making the classes completely stress free. Your instructor will teach you basic techniques in a step-by-step approach to painting.

What makes them Special: It’s BYOB! Bring your own wine or beer (just not hard alcohol). They provide the cups, bottle openers, etc.

Quote from the Website:

“I have been to several classes at Painting Lounge.  They are awesome!  If you have not been there, you need to go.  SO much fun!  Great pieces.  Kevin is awesome; friendly personality and patient.  Even if you think you have no artistic ability, when you leave you will have a beautiful piece of artwork.” – Jennifer D.

“In a relaxed, social setting, an experienced artist will guide the class step-by-step through replicating the night’s featured painting. It’s easy, fun, and totally stress free. Many people find our classes therapeutic and convenient way to tap back into their creative side. These classes are perfect for beginners, so grab your friends, coworkers, plan a unique date night, or fly solo and meet some creative people. It’s also a great way to decorate your apartment because you are sure to go home with a painting you can be proud of. Also, our classes are great for all kinds of events, parties and team building workshops.”

Who should you contact: [email protected]

Check out their website here:  http://www.paintinglounge.com