Hello Leaders!
Is it just me or is video conferencing awkward? There is a slight delay, you forget to un-mute yourself, some people’s microphones don’t work very well, some people’s microphones work too well, one or two people dominate the conversation, you’re not sure where to look…and on and on. Some of these interactions get better with practice and established “rules for play,” which is where this week’s Team Building Tuesday activity may be helpful for you:
Zen Counting:
An oldie AND a goodie, but not sure where it originates.
- The goal is for the team to count from 1 to 17 (or whatever number you decide).
- One number per person
- No one can say a second number until everyone has said their first number.
- No planning may happen.
- If two people say the same number the group starts over.
- When the group starts over, team members may not say the same number in this round as the previous round. For example, if Gertrude said “3” last round, she cannot say it in the current round.
Facilitation Tip: Your team may have to do several rounds before they achieve success–the tendency for new facilitators to be lenient and let things slide–I encourage you to be firm and allow the group to struggle.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you think we did? Why do you think that?
- What was the most frustrating part of the game?
- As the game progressed, did you develop “rules” to help you be more successful? What were those rules and how did they develop?
- Do we have “rules” for our face to face meeting? What are some of those rules?
- Do those rules still apply to video conferencing? Or should we create some temporary guidelines for these meetings?
- What are some ways we can make our online meetings more smooth and productive?
I look forward to the day when the challenge course can be available to help your teams reunite. Until then stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected!
Thank you,
Amy “Jesso” Watson
Challenge Course Manager
(503) 538-2763, ext. 105