team building

[rjh]

The company I work for has gone through quite a few changes recently & we have a number of new personnel, so I think it's time we had some "bonding" exercises.

I would be very grateful if you would have any suggestions or know of any places that I can contact.  Cost would be an issue though!  In order to sell it to the powers that be, I'd need to keep it cheap!!!

We tried paintballing a few years ago and some of us that went are not brave enough to do so again!!

I thought that an "its a knockout" tournament would be fab, but I don't know where to start.  

Any tips gratefully appreciated

[bethalize]

I have a few questions before I answer your question How many people are you looking at and what is the focus of the event? Is it just to make people like each other and feel more comfortable with each other or do you want them to know what each of the other people does? What sort of spread are you looking at? And are you in the UK, the US or elsewhere?

Bethalize
Peer Moderator

[gee4]

Is there a Hilton hotel near you?  The one close to where I live organises all that sort of thing - worth a try.  Alternatively I'd get out the yellow pages.

G

[JessW]

We used to do silly things like self-funded (with company contribution) 10-pin bowling trips and pub-crawls along the Thames on hired bicycles during the summer months, all after work which used to go down well.  We used to pay about £5 and the company would chip in a bit (pay for fish and chips on the cycle run or chips at the bowling out of entertainment budget).  These always went down well with both office based and site based staff attending and occasionally brining friends and family members along as well.

Good idea, but unfortunately no longer practiced due to merger with a larger firm...

Jess

[rjh]

It would probably be for approx 25-30 people (admin).  However, if I can come up with the right event & price, I may be able to have this increased to include the other departments, in which case approx 200.  I need to know whats available & at what cost before I can do anything!!
It's mainly for a getting to know you purpose because we have a quite a few new employees in this building & whilst we know a bit about what they do, we don't know anything about them!

We're based in the South of England

Thank you so much for your replies, I hadn't expected such a quick response.  

[hgray]

I've organised Department evenings (for team spirit, motivation etc.)
I work in a mainly male orientated Department (and company really )

I'm about to organise a cricket evening - where we hire a cricket pitchje off a local pub - have a friendly game and then back to the pub which provides a BBQ and a few drinks for us.  Usually arrange transport for everyone too. (The company normally pays for this)

I also organise a party at Christmas - usually a dinner and dance (company doesn't pay for this - everyone chips in).

Our sports and social committe held a family day recently but I can't tell you much about it as I was unable to go.


Helen

[ecogirl]

I have organised social events similar to Jess and Helen. The one that went down the best for a group of around 20 was a day curling, in fact we went back another twice.  I always think a BBQ is a good way to get peole to mingle afterwards.

caroleanne

[andream]

RJH,

One more bit of information if you don't mind sharing? what kind of business is your team in.  Are you going to be creating an event that's a mix of say machinest to executives or a mostly white  collar team?

A

[uberpa]

hmm my post with ideas on this subject seems to have disapeared.

[rjh]

Hi!

We're a manufacturing company so yes, it would potentially be a mix of machinist up to MD.

We've had barbies, ten pin bowling, pub nights & parties in the past & whilst they've gone down well, the departments tend to keep themselves to themselves as everyone likes to stay in their own little group.  So I'm looking for inspiration for something to make everyone mingle!!!

Thanks ever so much

[twhfan]

Whitewater rafting?  Group parachute jump?  Particpate in a knife-throwing circus act?

Sorry, just fantasizing about what I'd like to see our managers do....

I think our organization plans to get our management group together for  a whole weekend at a bed & breakfast for some teambuilding - just the team, no family allowed.  It reminds me of years ago when introducing another cat into my house I was told by a vet to shut both cats in a room together and let them "work it out".  (By the way, it didn't work - we had to give the other cat back). It makes me chuckle to think of this approach with our management team...

[gee4]

Count yourself lucky you get invited to these events - only our managers ever get treated here - tis the coporate way I am told!

G

[andream]

Okay, because you're dealing with a raft of different personalities and varying types of jobs chances are good approaching this type of a soriee with the standard "management type" teambuilding exercises will not go a long way towards bringing the group together.
Because you're in the UK I would suggest doing something a bit offbeat.  It;'s summer, Organize an "ICe Cream Social" It;s a southern US custom that basically means "An excuse to get everyone in one place and get to know each other".  Serve a bunch of ice cream, set up a stand to do it from or rent a soft serve machine.  Create the sense of a country picnic,  even if your office is in the heart of central London. Hokey music, and all.

THEN...Some exercises to get them laughing AND Learning about each other.

Create removable name tags for everyone in the group.  (not the stick on kind). When they belly up for their first ice cream, drop the name tags into a large fish bowl.  Distribute numbers in their place on slips of paper.  Call the numbers up and have them drag a name tag from the fish bowl and give them 15 seconds to find its owner.  (even when they know the owner it's going tobe a stretch to get from the front of the room through to whereever the owner is in that amount of time.)

Once al the name tags are back on the proper chests, pull a number at random.

Hand this person a nerf gun or a foam based bow and arrow.  Explain that it's employee revenge day and they are allowed to target one member of staff BUT They have to tell why...Tell the group that if they THINK They might be a target they are allowed to hide.  let it run for about three minutes no more or it takes one a rather distressing air of hunter and hunted which is not good.

Assign everyone new numbers for instance if you have 200 people in attendance, assign them numbers up to ten and start again, so you end up with 20 teams who are all mixed up departmentally.

Move them into their teams, and tell them they have ten minutes to nominate a candidate for "King or Queen" of the social.  Then give them ten more minutes to create a campaign which culminates in a one minute Pitch, after which you vote and elect the King or Queen, create a throne, hand them a crown, let the winning team spend the rest of the day serving as the court.  In the process you\ll learn lots about each other AND believe it or not you've done some actual team building events in the process.  Not every kind of teambuilding has to be about vague esoteric concepts.  Sometimes getting the guys in shipping to know the guys in marketing is what team building is about....

Just my tuppence.

Andrea

[peana]

My word - far too much experience of these things!  

Don't know why I'm posting = too late and too much to drink!  

However, the smallest gestures do count - just done HP Morgan Chase Corp. challenge in Battersea Park and it went down v. well for v. little cost - just enthouisiasam (sp - I;m drnkkk).  Make your people feel wanted and the response is great.  Any budget you can prise from your managers will be appreciated,  so good luck.  I'm in the midst of organising a 'treasure hunt' through the city - these are great fun and lots of charities will do the hard work for you if you can guarantee a certain amount of money - PM me if you want details of the cancer research trails in the city of London.

Any company event when you're trying to please so many folks is very stressful, so please try to not take things too personally.

[andream]

Winks at PEasie,,, Nice to know DeskDemon is not only your work destination but the after pub choice du jour as well .  

Andrea
PS,. your spelling whilst under the influence was far better than mine when not.