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3 Tips for Keeping Teams Happy and Productive

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

We all know team building is extremely important. It helps make teams more efficient and can improve the overall success for your company. Here are 3 awesome tips to help you make more productive and happy teams!

  1. Have Fun!: Do some FUN team building! Whether you are at a weekly meeting or planned team building adventure, the activities shouldn’t feel like work! When you teams are having fun, they’ll be more open to being creativity. The playfulness might even inspire new ideas! Plus, fun activities act a stress relievers.
  2. Get Everyone Involved: Make sure all your employees are involved in office events and team building activities. If your teams are remote or don’t work together all the time, getting everyone on board will be critical to team success. An easy way to do this is to ask icebreaker questions before meetings or conference calls. This gets everyone involved and won’t leave anyone on the sidelines.
  3. Introduce Flexibility: Flexibility can be key when it comes to building an efficient and strong team. Flexibility can often increase work ethic, employee morale and productivity. Simple ways to introduce flexibility to the workplace: Let teams work from home one day a week, give them flexible hours one day a week. When your employees feel like they have control over their work, they will feel empowered to take initiative and be more productive.

 

Unarthodox NYC Team Building

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

 

What They Do:  A creative space for experimenting with art, dance and technology, Unarthodox has an large array of immersive and creative activities for teams. Think blind sculpting, awesome improv games, and serious digital storytelling.  Examples: Paint & Sip Party, Intuitive Art,  Sculpture without Sight, Improv Land, Virtual Reality Storytelling, and Imagine Picture This.

How They Do it: Unarthodox combines all the arts into one immersive and exciting experience. By promoting creativity and relaxation, Unarthodox gets your team thinking, bonding, and collaborating.

What Makes Them Special: They combine everything from improv to art to writing! They don’t just help your team get creative with one medium or art form, they give you endless opportunity! Plus, making a virtual reality short film – that’s the coolest thing ever!

Quotes From Their Website:

“Just get your team together and come to Unarthodox for a unique, immersive experience that will bring you and your coworkers together like never before!”

“Team Bonding through improvisation is both fun and effective. Our instructors will design interactive improv games specifically for your team that will start with fun, ice-breaker games, and transitions into storytelling and collaboration exercises. Whether you’re integrating new employees, hosting a summit with people from different departments or just looking for a fun, collaborative day with the team, then the  Improv Team Bonding Series at Unarthodox will be a sure hit!”

“Imagine a creative space where you can experiment with different forms of art, explore your body through movement and dance, and tap into your creativity using modern technology.”

Visit Their Website: http://www.unarthodox.com/team-building-group-outing/

Contact: [email protected]

547 West 27th Street, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001

 

6 Movies To Get Your Teams Motivated

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Sometimes the best way to motivate your team is through good old fashioned storytelling. Stories transform our thinking and inspire us to do great things. Great stories not only entertain, but they bring people together through shared experiences and help build strong connections.

Movies at their core are just stories with actors and moving images, that’s why we love them! Sure, they act as a form of escapism, but they also offer a way for us to see new places and experience things outside of our own reality. Want to build stronger teams and inspire them to do their best? Show them examples of teams that struggle, overcome and ultimately succeed. An easy way to do this is to simply show them some kickass movies!

Check out the 6 movies Museum Hack picked as awesome team building flicks:

1. The Mighty Ducks

Leave it to beautiful-haired Coach Gordon Bombay to give epic team building advice. This classic 90s movie covers everything from teamwork to building focus. The Ducks may have started at the bottom but they fly to the top. Why? Because of awesome leadership and primo teamwork, of course.

What other movies did Museum Hack pick? Read the full post here: https://museumhack.com/6-team-building-movies/

6 Reasons to Get Your Teams Out of the Office

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Your teams need frequent changes to their environment. Especially if they are stuck in a office or cubicle all day. Don’t be afraid to mix things up. Encourage your teams to ditch their desks or give them the option from working from home or a coffee shop. The difference you’ll see in work ethic and team morale will be totally worth it.

Here are 6 reasons why getting your teams outside and out of the office is awesome for business – and employee happiness.

 

  1. New environments inspire creativity.

  2. Out-of-the-office activities encourage team building.

  3. Flexibility and choice of our work environments boosts productivity.

  4. New ideas and interesting places can help spark better ideas.

  5. Field trips, scavenger hunts, team adventures are just fun! They will encourage laughs and boost morale.

  6. Ditching the office can make teams happier and get them excited!

 

Your teams deserve awesome rewards for their hard work! Do fun activities outside the office as groups or give them some flexibility to find out what works for them.

 

5 Icebreaker Questions That Won’t Stress Out Your Teams

Posted on | by Moira O'Connell

Icebreakers have a bad reputation for being stuffy and stressful. But when you have an early meeting or a conference call with a diverse group of employees, a simple icebreaker question can get the energy flowing. Rethink the traditional icebreaker. Develop questions that keep your teams relaxed but also inspire them to share things about themselves. A great icebreaker is not only relevant but requires people to share meaningful answers.

Here are 5 awesome icebreakers to help get your team chatting!

  • If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be? This question may sound superficial but it will give team members insight into what their coworkers enjoy outside of work.
  • If you had to try out for a reality TV show, which one would you choose and why? Pop culture questions are fun. They get people laughing and connecting. Plus, you can learn a lot about a person from the type of reality TV they like.
  • Who is the better businessman or business woman and why? Timberlake or Justin Bieber? Modify this question to fit your industry or the department you are working with. There may be critical thinking involved, but the veil of humour makes it fun.
  • What was the worst job you ever had? A basic but personal question. Background information like work history helps teams understand one another. If two people had the same job, it will help boost camaraderie!
  • What would your superpower be and why? Everyone loves a good superpower. A fun but insightful icebreaker, this question inspires teams to share what they value in a relaxed way.

The greatest thing about icebreaker questions is that they involve zero planning! Keep a list of icebreakers on hand. Use them to welcome new employees, boost morale mid-day, or start a stressful meeting.

4 Fun Team Building Activities In NYC

Posted on | by Carly Syms

It’s time to change the way we think about team building.

For many employees, team building evokes images of trust falls or corporate retreats. We’re here to tell you that team building in New York City doesn’t have to be that way! We want to make it something your employees look forward to – and the options in NYC are endless!

Here are four companies that are changing the team building game in the Big Apple:

1. The Art Studio NY – The Art Studio NY will tap into your team’s creative side with a customized art class and workshop! Your team will end up creating something special to take home – and there may even be the chance for a glass of wine!
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Team Building From The Animal Kingdom

Posted on | by Carly Syms

Our friends at Museum Hack recently posted an article we love and want to share with you at Team Build NYC!

Museum Hack took a look at the seven team building lessons we can learn from animals. Check out some of the best team building that happens in the wild below!

The Cattle Egret: Teamwork for the Win

The Cattle Egret is often seen perching on cattle or other grazing mammals. The egret eats parasites off of the cattle’s body and often warns about oncoming predators. Cattle shake up grass and dust, disturbing insects for the egret to eat.

Tip: Teamwork between different departments can foster success while communication between different departments builds stronger relationships.
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