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7 Simple Tips to Conduct Inexpensive, Effective Team Building Games - By: Jessica Thomson

Team Building Games and activities do not have to be anything elaborate or expensive. If organizing sports days seem a bit too extravagant to you, you can choose from the less expensive indoor game options like mime, dart games, song and dance, carom, etc. The idea is to encourage employee interaction and build mutual respect and cordiality between colleagues. And all of these can be achieved without any over-the-top activities.
Therefore, when you are planning them, keep the following points in mind:
Keep it simple. Typically, something that can be hosted within the office or any public venue that is not too far from the office.
Keep it nice but inexpensive. Mime games, jigsaw puzzles, table magicians , treasure hunting are some of the least expensive games that can be played.
Normal office clothing should be all right for games you have in mind. You should not have to sponsor team jerseys. But, if you would still like to see distinctly colored teams, you may at best ask your employees to wear clothing that conform to one color pattern for their respective teams.
Carry out your team activities in small groups of four or six employees. Most people feel shy and awkward in large groups. Start with small numbers and graduate to larger numbers depending on the type of results your Team Building Games reap. General group discussions over several small group sessions are costless activities but very effective in breaking the ice.
Game instructions must be easily understood. If you have members in your team that do not understand or speak English very well, secure the help of an interpreter. You do not have to hire a professional, but choose someone among your employees who is several degrees better at English than others of his community are.
Rules of the game should be clearly understood. However, any game plan or improvisation should be left to the employees. Let your employees decide whom they will choose as team leader, communicator, problem-solver, facilitator, etc.
Games should be such that they engage all members of the team. They must encourage cooperation, creativity and team work.
These Games should be concluded with reflection and evaluation of what happened during the games: individual choices your employees made, the way they interacted, were there were situations in which the beginning of strife was evident, who seemed likely to participate and who made an effort to avoid the situation, etc.
As the games referee or judge, you can deduce a number of things about each of your employees from the way they play the game, react when they win or lose, dodge a difficult situation, or use their wit and creativity.
All in all,Games and activities can be as elaborated as you want them to be. If you want to pamper your employees with big parties, DJ, dance and dinner parties, and even presenting personalized gifts to your employees on Holidays or sponsoring vacations, go ahead. However, stop to think first, how much of it is really required and how much you are willing to spend in return for amount of work you expect. It is generally recommended you start small, and depending on how well your games work and improve employee relations, you plan bigger events

About the Author

For more insights and further information about Team Building Games and after dinner speakers visit our site http://www.actiondays.co.uk/?page=evening

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Jessica-Thomson/15140




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